Kenya Railways increases train fare by between Sh500 and Sh1,500

By Peter Ochieng

The Kenya Railways (KR)  on Wednesday announced new train fare, expected to take effect on 1st January, 2024.

The upward review of train fare has been attributed to a steady increase in the prices of fuel over the past few months.

Kenya Railways said the review will affect the Madaraka Express services, Nairobi Commuter Rail Service and the Kisumu and Nanyuki Safari trains.

“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,” Kenya Railways said in a notice.

The cost of travelling by Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train on First Class from Nairobi to Mombasa will rise by Sh1,500 from the current Sh3,000 to Sh4,500.

On the other hand, passengers who prefer Economy Class on the Nairobi-Mombasa route will pay Sh500 more as the traveling cost rises to Sh1,500 from the current Sh1,000.

"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 the statement.

A liter of super petrol is retailing at Sh217.36, diesel at Sh205.47 while kerosene wis going for Sh205.06.

Last month, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) increased the price of a litre of super petrol by Sh5.72, diesel by Sh4.48 and Kerosene by Sh2.45.

The next fuel review will be done mid this month.