The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has increased the fare for users of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Madaraka Express Passenger service by 50 per cent effective January 1, 2024.
In a notice, KRC has attributed the fare hike to the increase in fuel prices in the country hitting an all-time high of Ksh217.36 per litre of petrol during the latest review period by the Energy Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
Passengers on the first class cabin on the SGR will pay Ksh4,500 for a one-way trip from Nairobi to the coastal city of Mombasa from January 1, 2024, from the current fare of Ksh3,000.
Those using the economy class will top up an additional Ksh500 for the same journey from the current Ksh1,000.
The upward increase in train fares will also affect the Madaraka Express Commuter Service, Nairobi Commuter Rail Service, Kisumu Safari Train and Nanyuki Safari Train.
“This increase is informed by changes in the energy and petroleum sector where prices of fuel have significantly increased thus affecting the cost of our operations,” stated Kenya Railways.
“Customers making advance purchases for the Madaraka Express Passenger Service will notice the adjusted fares as of November 1, 2023, to take into account the advance ticket purchasing window of 60 days,” added KRC.
Read: More Pain At The Pump As Fuel Prices Increase
A ticket to Mtito-Andei, Voi and Mariakani in the first class will cost Ksh2,240, Ksh3,200 and Ksh4,310 whereas a ticket in the economy class will go for Ksh740, Ksh1,050 and Ksh1,410 respectively from January 1, 2024.
This comes at a time when the energy regulator revised the prices of fuel in the country upwards leading to a litre of petrol, diesel and kerosene to soar by Ksh5.72, Ksh4,48 and Ksh2.45 respectively.
This pushed a litre of petrol, diesel and kerosene to retail at Ksh217.36, Ksh205.47 and Ksh205.06 in the capital city.