Kenya Railways Announces New Train Schedules After Lockdown 

The Mombasa Terminus of the Standard Gauge Railway.
The Mombasa Terminus of the Standard Gauge Railway.
File

Kenya Railways announced changes in both the Madaraka Express Passenger Service and the Nairobi Commuter Rail service operations following the new Covid-19 directives by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, March 26 2021.

“Normal services will run on Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28, 2021, between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm and on Monday, March 29, 2021, up to noon,” stated Kenya Railways.

Subsequently, commuter services would be stopped until further notice.

Kenya Railways however, stated that the Passenger Service between Nairobi Terminus and Suswa would run over the weekends.

A train pictured on the NCPB Kisumu railway line in July 2020.
A train pictured on the NCPB Kisumu railway line in July 2020.
Photo
Kenya Railways

President Uhuru reintroduced travel restrictions targeting five counties - Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu, Machakos, and Kajiado, which was marked as disease zones. 

Uhuru, during his 15th address on Covid-19, reconsidered curfew hours for the five counties and directed it to begin at 8 p.m. and end at 4 a.m. while the rest of the country maintained the 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. hours.

Kenya Railways recently unveiled buses that would transport Nairobians from the Nairobi Central Railway Station to the Westlands Bus Terminus and from Nairobi Central Railway Station to JKIA via the Embakasi Train. 

The services offers affordable commuter prices ranging between Ksh 30 and Ksh 50 from the Central Business District (CBD) to various destinations on the routes.

The corporation is also set to launch additional six commuter trains operating different routes across the city.

Referred to as Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs), the trains will increase the frequency of trains in Nairobi and enhance transportation.

President Uhuru Kenyatta flags off SGR Phase 2A at the Nairobi Terminus on Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta flags off SGR Phase 2A at the Nairobi Terminus on Wednesday, October 16, 2019
PSCU