SGR train at the Nairobi terminus station in this photo taken on April 27, 2019. Photo | Jeff Angote | Nation
The Standard Gauge Railway has posted a record performance, with passenger ticket sales crossing the Sh2 billion mark in the first half of this year.
Kenya Railways data shows the trains, popularly known as the Madaraka Express, earned Sh2.068 billion between January and June an 11.6 percent jump compared to the Sh1.85 billion made over the same period last year.
The growth was driven by higher passenger numbers and the doubling of fares at the start of 2024. First-class tickets between Nairobi and Mombasa rose to Sh4,500, while economy class increased to Sh1,500.
Passenger traffic hit 1.18 million travellers, up from 1.12 million last year, helping Kenya Railways reduce its reliance on government bailouts and setting the stage for the planned extension of the SGR to the Uganda border town of Malaba.
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