Earth tremor delays SGR passenger train in Voi

Passengers get on board the Madaraka Express train at Voi SGR terminus in Miritini in this picture taken on May 31, 2017.

Photo credit: Jeff Angote | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • The delay was meant to establish whether there was any damage caused by the tremor along the Voi section of the railway line
  • The train was allowed to proceed with the journey after the said section was found intact.

The Madaraka Express passenger train was on Wednesday delayed for an hour at Ndii sub-station following an earth tremor that was reported in Voi area in Taita Taveta on Tuesday night.

According to a signal sent from Voi Railways Police Station, the Mombasa-bound train delayed from noon to a few minutes past 1pm following an advise from Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) dispatch office.

"It was reported by one Mr James Gui, a Chinese security officer, that Nairobi-Mombasa passenger train stopped at Ndii sub-station within Voi Railways Police Station area from 12.05 pm to 13.18 pm after receiving an advise from SGR dispatch office in Nairobi to stop due to the earth tremor that was experienced within that area," the signal reads in part.

The delay was meant to establish whether there was any damage caused by the tremor along the Voi section of the railway line and to ensure the safety of the passengers onboard.

The train was allowed to proceed with the journey after the said section was found intact.

Kenya Railway Corporation resumed its SGR passenger train service on October 1, 2020 after months of disrupted services due to Covid-19 pandemic. 

The railway line resumed operations in July after Covid-19 measures restricting movement of people between select counties were lifted.

The train has been popular among business people and leisure travelers between Nairobi and Mombasa since it was launched amid huge fanfare in May 2017. 

The SGR had transported 4.3 million Kenyans by April 6.