By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
The Kenya Railways Corporation has admitted being overwhelmed with the high number of Kenyans seeking passenger train services.
The corporation in a statement on their social media pages on Monday said the increase in those booking for the services was high on Sunday and Monday.
“We wish to inform members of the public that following the announcement of the government on the reopening of primary and secondary schools, the corporation has received an overwhelming demand for passenger services between Sunday May 13th and Monday May 13th, 2024, including students wishing to travel back to school in time for reopening,” the authority said.
The high demand comes even after Kenya Railways introduced additional coaches in both economy and first class to accommodate the students who had booked earlier before the postponement of the school opening date.
“The demand over the last two days has been overwhelming,” Kenya Railways said.
But despite the current situation, the corporation has assured its customers that it is doing everything possible to ensure no passenger, including students are left behind and that all arrive safely at their various destinations.
Kenya Railways operate passenger train service to various parts of the country including Kisumu and Mombasa.
The operations are through the Madaraka Express.In addition, the corporation runs commuter train services to and from several estates within the Nairobi Metropolitan area.
Demand for passenger train services have been on the rise due to its affordability, reliability and speed compared to road transport.
Data released by the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) show that since the rail officially began operations in 2017, more than 11,155,000 passengers have been dispatched.
From June 2017 until June 2023, Madaraka Express transported an astounding 10,335,919 passengers, covering approximately 7,358,241 kilometres.
Primary and secondary school across the country across the country opened on Monday for the second term. This is after the opening date was moved twice due to floods.Initially, the schools were to be opened on April 29, 2024.