The 50% fare hike on the Madaraka Express, Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) that took effect in January continued to depress passenger numbers by 8.8% in the 9 months to September.
- Passenger numbers declined by 8.8% or 171,803 to 1.8 million from 1.9 million recorded in 2023.
- In the 9 months, the SGR generated KSh 2.91 billion from passengers, a 36.2% increase from KSh 2.14 billion recorded in the same period in 2023.
In September, passenger numbers dropped significantly by 32.7% to 296.4 million from 440.6 million in August, prompting a KSh 141.1 million loss in the period.
In November 2023, Kenya Railways increased fares by KSh 500 – KSh 1500 necessitated by adjustments in fuel prices which breached the KSh 200 mark.
Similarly, the freight haulage via SGR declined by 3.1% in the 9 months to September to 4.8 million metric tonnes from 4.9 million metric tonnes in the same period in 2023.
Revenue generated from freight stood at KSh 10.3 billion in the first 9 months of 2024, a 3.7% reduction from KSh 10.3 billion.
August and April experienced the most passenger bookings pointing to the peak seasons with most people traveling to the Coast and back to Nairobi as top holiday destinations.
Though considered better than road transport from Nairobi to Mombasa, passengers incur extra costs to find their way to the Central Business District in both cities.
Yesterday, the Speaker of the National Assembly directed members of parliament participating in the upcoming 14th edition of the East African Community Inter-parliamentary games, held in Mombasa County, to exclusively travel by the SGR as a measure to cut costs.
