The Kenya Railways Company has acquired seven passenger trains for the Nairobi-Kisumu railway line.

This comes after the company noted there is a demand for the mode of transport for people travelling to the Western part of the country.

PHOTO/COURTESY

KR also seeks to increase the frequency on that route to three trains as it is working towards extending commuter services to Butere.

Currently, there is only one train that travels to Kisumu once weekly.

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The company’s Regional Manager Michael Disi said there is a demand for passenger trains on the route therefore it is necessary to increase the frequency.

According to Disi, KR bought the locomotives from the Republic of China and they are expected in the country at the end of March for immediate use in April.

“The seven passenger locomotives that we have procured from China are almost complete and we shall receive them by the end of March and we intend to start using them in April,” Disi said.

Disi said there shall be two trains serving passengers on the railway line; one departing from Nairobi as the other one departs from Kisumu to ensure passengers travel within their itinerary.

“We shall be having two trains on the line, when one is departing Nairobi, another one is leaving Kisumu. These trains will ensure that passengers can travel at night from Kisumu to Nairobi and return in the evening after finishing their business,” Disi said.

Since the reintroduction of the Nairobi-Kisumu passenger train in December 2021, over 2000 passengers have travelled using the train since.

PHOTO/COURTESY