From June 1 this year, Kenyans will be charged the cheapest fares ever when travelling in comfort and style between Nairobi and Mombasa, thanks to the eagerly awaited Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
At the moment, the most timely and affordable means of travelling between the two cities is by bus, whose average ticket price stands at Sh1,500.
But that will change forever from next month, as passengers will be able to buy a one-way ticket for as low as Sh700 when the SGR is officially opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta on May 31, 2017.
According to Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) managing director Atnas Maina, the fares charged will not deviate from the current ones. KRC currently charges Sh680 for the economy class ride between the two location. Second and first class tickets cost Sh2,335 and Sh4,405 respectively.
“Fuel will be a major cost factor, but to give you an idea, we will be starting somewhere very close to what we have at the moment,” he told the Business Daily.
“We are already providing that service at night from Nairobi and Mombasa where charges for the economy class is at Sh700. We hope to have the freight cost reduce by a minimum of 20 per cent,” he added.
The SGR project is set to transform transportation in Kenya, as many travelers are expected to prefer traveling by railway. The journey will only take 4 hours, up from the about 10 hours that buses take. The train will be moving at a speed of 120km/h for the 472km distance.
Travelling by train is by far safe, when compared to road transport, which has caused the loss of many lives on Mombasa Road.
Although air transport is equally very safe, the means is way beyond the reach of majority of Kenyans — as the price of one plane ticket ranges between Sh5,000 to Sh15,000 depending on when books and the airline. The whole railway project from Nairobi to Mombasa will cost Sh327 billion.
Photos by Standard Gauge Railway Project Kenya.