Passengers boarding the SGR passenger train in Nairobi. [Photo/ businessdailyafrica.com]

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Travelers cruising on the SGR trains between Nairobi and Mombasa will now be able to pay for their tickets through Safaricom’s M-Pesa platform.

The move will help weed out middlemen in the ticketing business.Kenya Railways reached a deal with Safaricom for paybill numbers that will give commuters the opportunity to buy the tickets from home and get them at the station.Initially, commuters would only buy the tickets at the ticketing offices in Nairobi or Mombasa.“M-Pesa payments will be ready from today (Wednesday). Safaricom team is on the ground finalising training for 20 ticket issuers who will be based at our stations. We also intend to bring on board Telkom Kenya and Airtel going forward,” Kenya Railways managing director Atanas Maina said.“We are interacting with various service providers and we will be able to see how online payment system will now interface with our ticketing system.”Nine paybill numbers according to Maina will be available at each terminal. Once payment has been done, a traveler will receive a reference number, which he or she will use for getting the ticket at the station.The tickets have a travel date and time but do not bear the passenger’s name. An economy class ticket costs Sh700 while the luxurious first class one costs Sh3,000.Booking points opened room for middlemen who are reportedly buying tickets at Sh700 and selling them at S1,000 outside the SGR termini during rush hours. Two people have already been arrested and charged over the outlawed ticketing business.The SGR passenger train was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta at Miritini Mombasa on May 31.The passenger train service has become popular with travelers due to low persuasive prices and faster travel, a development that has left hundreds stranded at the stations.The train cut time for covering the 472 kilometre journey between Mombasa and Nairobi from 12 hours four.The SGR’s next phase of development involves extending the rail line to Naivasha and Kisumu.