Kenya Railways Acquires 20 New SGR Coaches After High Demand

Kenya Railways has announced the acquisition of 20 coaches for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train to meet customer demands.

According to Kenya Railways Managing Director Philip Maingi, the 20 coaches will comprise Four business class, three first class, 12 economy coaches and 1 power car designed for operations on the SGR line.

The new coaches will have modern features which will make travel more efficient and friendly. 

"We will soon receive 20 coaches comprising of 4 business class, 3 first class, 12 economy coaches and 1 power car designed for operations on the SGR line."

"These additional coaches will support the high demand for Madaraka Express Passenger Services," Mainga stated.

The new coaches will also complement the current ones and meet the customer demand during festive seasons and holidays.

New coaches come at a time when Kenya Railways is grappling to maintain the number of bookings which reports alleged that they dropped following the increase in fare charges.

Despite downplaying the reports, the number of empty seats on their booking websites has remained high for several days

The Kenya Railways Managing Director announced while flagging off 430 new freight wagons on Monday, March 4. 230 wagons are designed to facilitate operations on the Standard Gauge Railway line and 200 designed to facilitate operations on the Metre Gauge Railway line.

Maingi was accompanied by Transport Principal Secretary Mohamed Daghar who reiterated government support for Kenya Railways operations noting that the new freight wagons are expected to increase efficiency.

"The National Government is implementing strategic interventions in the railway sector in the country in order to enhance its operational efficiency and by extension ups ale its contribution to Kenya's economic growth," Daghar stated.