Kenya Railways increase trains to Nanyuki to meet increased demand
Kenyan Railways has increased the number of trains plying the Nairobi to Nanyuki route to meet the holiday rush ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The increased demand for the rail service will now see two more trains added to the route starting Friday.
This is after the available trains were fully booked on Thursday necessitating the corporation to transport the remaining passengers using the Nairobi Commuter Rail buses.
To meet the high demand, Kenya Railways will run a train to Nanyuki on Christmas Day and two trains on December 27 and 31 as well as January 2, departing at 9am from Nanyuki and Nairobi respectively.
“The Corporation will run another train tomorrow, on Christmas Day, from Nairobi to Nanyuki to cater for the high demand witnessed this morning at the Nairobi Central Railway station,” said Kenya Railways Managing Director Mr Philip Mainga.
The MD said they were overwhelmed after passengers turned up in large numbers Thursday morning at the Nairobi Central Railway Station streaming in as early as 6am and by 8am the train was full to capacity.
This triggered KR to add additional coaches and introduce an additional pair of trains during the remaining period of the festive season.
For passenger convenience, Mr Mainga requested members of the public to make their bookings a day in advance at any of the following stations; Nairobi Central Railway station, Makadara, Dandora, Mwiki, Githurai, Kahawa, Ruiru, Thika, Sagana, Karatina, Kiganjo and Nanyuki while ensuring they carry proper identification documents.
“The service fares will remain the same with a complete trip going for Sh200 for the economy class and Sh1,000 for Business Class. The train will make stops at the Intermediate stations along the route which are Thika, Mitubiri, Makuyu, Maragua, Murang’a Sagana, Kiganjo and Naromoru,” he said.