Kenya Railways has introduced an additional Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passenger train on the Nairobi–Mombasa route to accommodate the surge in travellers during the festive season.
In a notice on Tuesday, December 2, the corporation said that the train will operate from Monday, December 8, to Monday, January 5.
According to the schedule, the additional train will depart from Nairobi at 9:40am, arrive in Voi at 1:35pm, and proceed to Mombasa, where it is expected to arrive at 3:55pm.
For the return leg, the train will always leave Mombasa at 4:30pm, stop in Voi at 6:15pm and arrive in Nairobi at 10:55 pm.
"We will be running an additional Madaraka Express Passenger Service train from Monday, 8th December 2025 to Monday, 5th January 2026 to accommodate the increase in passenger demand during this period," the corporation stated.
The corporation also encouraged passengers to make early bookings through their online ticket portal or via *639# USSD code.
The announcement comes two weeks after Kenya Railways Managing Director Philip Mainga revealed that all premium class passenger trains are fully booked until February 2026.
In a press briefing on Thursday, October 13, Mainga said that the overwhelming number of people seeking to travel to the coast through SGR will force the management to seek additional coaches, especially in the premium class.
Mainga had also confirmed that the corporation was to introduce a special train similar to the one that had transported Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) members to Mombasa to celebrate their 20th anniversary last month.
"The demand for this premium class is high, so we are now going to order more coaches and equipment to ensure that everyone is accommodated. And for your information, we are booked until February," Mainga said.
"We are fully booked for Christmas; we do not have any seats, but we are willing to run special trains and ensure that Kenyans go to Mombasa and enjoy themselves and come back," he added.
It is not the first time the SGR will have adjustments to its schedule along the busy route. Last year, the Kenya Railways announced the introduction of a special SGR train that operated during the 2024 holiday season along the Nairobi-Mombasa Route.
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