Passengers boarding the SGR train in Nairobi. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]
The Sh700 fare on Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Madaraka Express train between Nairobi and the coastal town of Mombasa will be reviewed in the next two months.
Kenya Railways managing director Atanas Maina said on Friday that the charges could be adjusted to Sh1,200 after approvals by the Transport Ministry.
The Sh3,000 fare for first class passenger on the train will, however, remain the same in the new fare regime expected to be opposed by majority SGR travellers.
“We shall be announcing the rates in April once approved but will not exceed Sh1,200,” Maina said as quoted by Business Daily.
“The government made a deliberate decision to charge low fare to allow Kenyans from all walks of life to test the service at inception stage so that they can judge for themselves the nature of the product we were introducing to the market.”
President Uhuru Kenyatta had in May last year fixed the fare at Sh700 for economy class tickets and Sh3,000 on first class tickets for passengers travelling from Nairobi to Mombasa.
The 472 kilometres SGR railway line between Mombasa and Nairobi was constructed at a cost of Sh327 billion.