The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has announced the return of passenger train services from Mombasa to Kisumu in December.
This will enable passengers to travel between the two cities during the day and night seamlessly, especially during the festive season.
The train service resumes after over ten years. Kenya Railways ceased to operate passenger trains to the Western region because of the worn-out railway line.
According to KRC Managing Director Philip Maingi, the move is aimed at tapping the increased demand because of the masses travelling upcountry for the festivities.
Maingi affirmed that they have set all arrangements in place for the operations to start, even though he did not disclose the exact date when the passenger train service will begin.
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“All is set and we must have a passenger train on the refurbished line Kisumu this December. It will operate days and night,” said Maingi.
KRC has spent billions in refurbishing the meter gauge track that will link to the standard gauge railway (SGR) to increase cargo transport and passenger transport.
The work on the Kisumu railway line is complete and currently, the Malaba railway line is being refurbished.
The refurbishment exercise of the old railway line to Kisumu took off after the Kenyan government failed to secure a multi-billion shilling loan from China for the extension of the SGR to Kisumu.
Currently, KRC is constructing a rail line linking the SGR to the old railway track at Longonot before passenger train services begin in December.
The train from Kisumu will drop off its passengers at Naivasha station before they get transferred to the SGR train on the newly constructed 23.5-kilometre line to Longonot.
The refurbished railway will ease the transport of bulk cargo to neighbouring countries via Kisumu, which had its port refurbished recently.
