Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has acquired seven new trains that will be added to the Nairobi Kisumu route since the resumption of the services in December 2021.
The state agency revealed that the trains will arrive in Kenya from China towards the end of March 2022.
Kenya Railways Kisumu regional manager Michael Disi stated that the agency had decided to acquire more locomotives due to the increased demand in train services.
Disi noted that the agency is struggling to fulfil the demand since it only has one train plying the Nairobi-Kisumu route and only operates on Fridays.
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“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.
“The purchase of the locomotives has been necessitated by the demonstrated increase of passengers from the two regions who are willing to use the railway line,” Disi was quoted by Business Daily.
He explained that Kenya Railways is planning to have two trains plying the Kisumu-Nairobi route at the same time. When one is leaving Kisumu, the other is leaving Nairobi.
Disi also noted that they intend to introduce a night travel system so that passengers can get to Nairobi in the morning, go about their business and those interested can travel back to Kisumu in the evening.
Kenya Railways also plans to extend the train service to Butere.
According to Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna, the expansion of the commuter train to Butere will build the economy of the Western Kenya region.
“The transformation of the Nairobi-Kisumu train is a game-changer as far as the development of the region is concerned and will play a significant role in boosting tourism on the western circuit,” Rtd Col Oguna was quoted by Business Daily.
