A train ferrying students from Nairobi County to Nanyuki arrived late in the evening leaving hundreds of commuters stranded.
The train, which had left Nairobi at 9am on Monday, January 4, arrived in Nanyuki at around 7:20pm.This disoriented most of the students who still had to cover several kilometres to their respective schools.
The locomotive made stops in Thika, Mitubiri, Makuyu, Maragua, Murang'a, Sagana, Karatina, Kiganjo and Naro Moru.
"It kept stalling on the road. If it had travelled expressly from Nairobi, we would have taken less time on the road and arrived earlier," a parent stated.
The train spent several hours in Sagana after it developed a mechanical problem. This has been witnessed several times by the Nanyuki Bound Train.
The back-to-school locomotive was an alternative mode of transport to ease traffic along the road following the mass school reopening.
Kenya Railways is charging Ksh 200 for those taking business class, a rather pocket friendly fee, bearing in mind that commuters using Public Service Vehicles (PSV) have had to pay between Ksh500 and Ksh700 for the same trip.
A few days ago, a Nairobi-bound train temporarily stalled at Ruthagati in Nyeri County with more than 1,500 passengers on board.
The locomotive developed mechanical problems believed to have been caused by the heavy load and the area’s topography.
However, after stalling for one and a half hours, the on-board crew resolved the mechanical issue, allowing the journey to continue.
Kenya Railways has since announced that it will double the number of trains from Nanyuki to Nairobi to cater for the high demand for passenger service on the route.
