Kenya Railways (KR) will in the next two weeks introduce premium class seats on its standard gauge rail (SGR) passenger trains, charging customers up to three times the fares it charges currently on its first-class coaches on the Madaraka Express train between Nairobi and Mombasa.
The services, which will be launched next month will see passengers pay Sh12,000 on the premium class coaches from Nairobi to Mombasa, in a service that is set to improve passenger experience between the two destinations.
Children between three and 11 years will part with Sh6,000.
“Premium class coaches service on the Madaraka Express passenger train will start in the next two weeks. Adults will pay Sh12,000 while children will part with Sh6,000 between Nairobi and Mombasa,” said the corporation in response to our queries on Tuesday.
‘Special extras’
The corporation said the premium class carriages will give passengers access to special extras, including space and entertainment options.
Additionally, the coaches feature extra storage options for travellers with additional baggage, designated shoe storage space, automated window shutters, and rotating seats.
The newly acquired premium class standard gauge railway (SGR) coaches at the Port Rietz Freight Station in Mombasa on July 22, 2024.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group
Those using premium class coaches in the morning will be entitled to a full breakfast and lunch. Those travelling in the evening will have dinner on the train while refreshments will be served throughout their journey.
“The service targets middle-class travellers going in either direction for leisure. We are not competing with airlines,” said KRC.
The premium class service on SGR passenger trains between Nairobi and Mombasa comes barely less than seven months after Kenya Railways adjusted passenger fares on the fastest trains between the two towns.
The adjustments, which took effect in January this year, saw passengers pay Sh4,500 on first-class coaches from Sh3,000- an increase of 50 percent.
Those on economy class coaches pay Sh1,500 up from Sh1,000 before the readjustments.
The government slashed the fares to Sh700 from the initially agreed Sh900 during the launch of the Sh327 billion railway to drive traffic in the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence.
Kenya tapped over half a trillion shillings from Chinese lenders to fund the construction of the SGR from Mombasa to Naivasha.
Taxpayers have been forced to shoulder the burden of the SGR loans because revenues generated from the passenger and cargo services on the track are not enough to meet operation costs, which stood at Sh18.5 billion in the year to June 2022 against sales of Sh15 billion.
