SGR milestones: Over 14 million passengers, 38.47 million tonnes of cargo transported since 2017
The railway has also moved 38.47 million tonnes of cargo, and AfriStar, the company operating the SGR, reported on Tuesday.
At least 14.8 million passengers have been transported on Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) since its launch in June 2017.
The railway has also moved 38.47 million tonnes of cargo, and AfriStar, the company operating the SGR, reported on Tuesday.
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The company also maintained that it has managed a remarkable safety record with 2,831 consecutive days of safe operations.
"By February 28, 2025, this is what we have achieved: Passenger No: Over 14.75 million passengers were transported. Freight Services: Over 3.018 million TEUs & 38.47 million tons of goods transported. Safety: 2,831 days of safe SGR operations. We continue to aim higher!” reads the statement.
However, a recent report from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) revealed a decline in both passenger and cargo volumes in 2024.
According to the Third Quarter Gross Domestic Product Report 2024, the number of passengers using the SGR fell from 701,132 in the third quarter of 2023 to 650,352 during the same period in 2024.
This represents a 7.2 percent decrease. Additionally, freight transported via the SGR showed a slight contraction of 0.8 percent, dropping from 1,735.0 thousand metric tonnes in the third quarter of 2023 to 1,720.3 thousand metric tonnes in 2024.
The decline in both passenger and cargo services marks a challenging period for the railway system.
Despite these setbacks, the Kenyan government is pushing forward with plans to expand the SGR network.
Earlier this month, the government announced plans to acquire more land for the SGR Phase 2A project, which will extend the railway from Nairobi to Naivasha. Mohamed Daghar, the Principal Secretary for Transport, confirmed that this phase will extend the line further to Malaba, and eventually connect Kenya to Uganda.
Funded by the Chinese government at a cost of Sh648 billion, the project is expected to take four years to complete, and will eventually link Kenya to neighboring countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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