Kenya Railways (KR) is set to introduce premium class seats on its Standard Gauge (SGR) passenger trains in the next two weeks, charging customers up to three times the fare it currently charges for first class carriages on the Madaraka Express between Nairobi and Mombasa.
The services, which will be launched next month, will see passengers pay Ksh12,000 on premium class buses from Nairobi to Mombasa, in a service set to improve the passenger experience between the two destinations.
Children aged 3 to 11 years will get 6,000 shillings.
“The first class bus service on the Madaraka Express passenger train will start within the next two weeks. Adults will pay Sh12,000 while children will pay Sh6,000 between Nairobi and Mombasa,” the company said in response to our queries on Tuesday.
‘Special Additions’
The company said the premium class carriages will give passengers access to special extras, including space and entertainment options.
Additionally, the buses feature additional storage options for passengers carrying extra luggage, a dedicated shoe storage area, automatic window shades, and swivel seats.
Newly purchased premium standard rail wagons at Port Reitz Freight Terminal in Mombasa on July 22, 2024.
Image source: Kevin Audette | Nation Media Group
Morning passengers on premium coaches are entitled to a full breakfast and lunch. Evening passengers will have dinner on the train, while refreshments will be served throughout the journey.
“The service is aimed at middle-class passengers travelling in both directions for leisure purposes. We do not compete with airlines,” KRC said.
The premium class service on SGR passenger trains between Nairobi and Mombasa comes less than seven months after Kenya Railways revised passenger fares on the fastest trains between the two cities.
The amendments, which came into effect in January this year, saw passengers pay Sh4,500 on first class buses instead of Sh3,000 – a 50 per cent increase.
Economy class passengers will pay Sh1,500, up from Sh1,000 before the changes.
The government has cut ticket prices from Sh900 to Sh700, the initially agreed price, during the launch of the Sh327 billion railway line, aiming to increase traffic in the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence.
Kenya has secured more than half a trillion shillings from Chinese lenders to finance the construction of the Mombasa to Naivasha high-speed railway.
Taxpayers have had to shoulder the burden of Singapore Rail’s loans because revenue generated from passenger and freight services on the track is not enough to cover operating costs, which amounted to Sh18.5 billion in the year to June 2022 against sales of Sh15 billion.