Kenya Railways has explained its decision to use buses to ferry passengers from Nairobi to Nanyuki on Christmas Day eve.
In a statement issued by the corporation on December 25, Kenya Railways stated that it opted to use buses to transport many passengers who were left stranded after arriving at the station.
It added that the tickets on the route had been totally sold out even as Kenyans travelled to various destinations for the festivities.
"On December 24, the Nanyuki Safari Train service transported many passengers to Nanyuki from Nairobi Central Station, it was full to capacity.
"Kenya Railways resorted to using its Nairobi Commuter Rail (NCR) Service buses to transport as many remaining passengers," read the statement in part.
Additionally, Kenya Railways added that the travellers were charged the same price as that of the train. According to the train price schedule, Kenya Railways charges Ksh200 for economy class from Nairobi to Nanyuki.
The corporation went ahead to state that the two-day train service would still work on December 26 to enable Kenyans to travel back to the city.
"The train operates on Fridays and Sundays only. It departs Nairobi at 0900hrs on Fridays and Nanyuki at 0900hrs on Sunday. The train will transport passengers to Nairobi on December 26," Kenya Railways stated.
The corporation’s decision to offer bus service to the stranded travellers has earned it recognition as Kenyans took to social media to celebrate Kenya Railways for the noble act.
“Kudos to Kenya Railways. This is a vote of confidence from Kenyans. Our matatu industry has hurt Kenyans and many are ready to embrace another better alternative. Keep up the good job," Jay Den, a social media user stated.
For the past two weeks, most train tickets have been sold out due to the numerous activities during the festive season. Since the Kisumu route train service was officiated on December 17, Kenya Railways revealed that it added more trains to the route citing growing demand.
“We have added an additional passenger train from Nairobi to Kisumu to cater for increased demand for travellers heading to western Kenya during this festive season.
“We are also planning to add another train from Kisumu to Nairobi on December 25 and on January 2, 2022," Kenya Railways Managing Director, Philip Mainga stated.
