New night train services to ease travels between Nairobi and Kisumu

Kenya Railways Corporation will from Friday introduce a night train as it seeks to ease travel between Nairobi and Kisumu.

The trains, which will depart every Friday and Sunday from either side at 6.30pm, will arrive at their destinations at 6.30am.

The move is expected to make the 12-hour journey with 18 stopovers more comfortable on the 216km meter gauge railway.

A schedule shows that travellers will pay Sh600 from Nairobi to Kisumu, Sh300 between Nairobi and Nakuru and Sh400 from Nakuru to Kisumu, while those travelling in first class will part with Sh2,000.

Perks available to first-class passengers include access to Wi-Fi, charging ports, refreshments and spacious closets for luggage storage.

Kenya Railways reintroduced the Nairobi-Kisumu service on December 17 last year after a hiatus of over 10 years.

Demand was high as passengers scrambled for tickets to celebrate the Christmas and New Year holidays with their loved ones.

But interest gradually waned, in what KRC spokesperson Anne Maina attributed to fluctuating demand.

Night locomotive

The unveiling of the night locomotive comes a few months after the corporation indicated that it was considering adding more trips to better serve customers visiting the two cities.

By April this year, the commuter train had transported over 6,000 passengers, according to statistics from KRC.

“Kenya Railways is ready to increase its trips. We have acquired new locomotives and refurbished coaches in case there is an increase in the number of passengers requiring the service,” she said.

The introduction of the night train is expected to further boost the movement of passengers and cargo destined for neighbouring countries.

It is said that one train has the capacity to substitute 35 trucks, reducing road maintenance costs by at least 40 percent.

In 2020, the national government shelved plans to extend the SGR line from Nakuru to Kisumu after its initial plans to borrow Sh368 billion from the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim) hit a snag as it emerged that the Asian giant was reluctant to fund the project.

The government then decided to upgrade the old railway track for Sh3.8 billion and evacuate cargo and passengers to neighbouring countries via Lake Victoria.

The revival of the train services is also a major boost for cargo transportation.

According to the 2022 Economic Survey, the number of passenger journeys via the MGR doubled from 1.8 million in 2020 to 4.4 million in 2021 and that came with a surge in revenues.

This was attributed to the easing of Covid-19 containment measures, continued revamping of Nairobi commuter rail services and the introduction of new routes to Limuru and Lukenya.