A Standard Gauge Railway train. [Photo/ Standard Gauge Railway Project Kenya]
In less than two weeks, a major infrastructure project that will forever change the history of Kenya will be unveiled by President Uhuru Kenya. The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), whose contraction has been completed ahead of time, will be officially launched on May 31 — making it much more convenient and cheaper for Kenyans to travel between Mombasa and Nairobi. After the launch, Kenyans will be charged the cheapest fares when traveling between the two cities, yet be able to travel in style, comfort and within record time.A one-way economy ticket will cost about Sh700, while second and first class tickets are expected to retail at Sh2,335 and Sh4,405 respectively. With a speed of 120km/hr, the journey is expected to take 4 hours, up from the more than 10 hours passengers currently spend when traveling by bus. The project, the first of its kind in the region, will transform transformation in the country. According to Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia the completion of the project will lead to movement of goods from the port by road cut short by about 40%. President Kenyatta will be part of the excited passengers travelling on the inaugural train journey from Nairobi to Mombasa after the launch at the end of this month.Thousands of Kenyans are eagerly waiting for the launch to book their tickets, according to their messages on social media. 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.