SGR passenger numbers drop by 280,000 in 2024 despite revenue surge from fare hike

Passenger traffic on the standard gauge railway (SGR) fell by more than 280,000 in 2024, even as revenues surged due to a sharp increase in fares, a new report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows.

According to the 2025 Economic Survey, the number of passengers transported via SGR declined by 10.3 per cent from 2,729,000 in 2023 to 2,447,000 in 2024. Despite the drop, passenger revenue rose significantly by 39.4 per cent from Sh2.94 billion to Sh4.099 billion.

“The increase in revenue was mainly due to a 50 per cent fare hike implemented in January 2024,” reads the report.

The latest figures show that while 2024 saw a drop in usage compared to the previous year, the SGR still outperformed 2022, which recorded 2,392,000 passengers. The trend was also an improvement from 2021, which saw 1,993,000 users. In 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, passenger numbers plummeted to just 812,000.

Meanwhile, freight volume transported via SGR saw a slight drop from 6,533,000 tonnes in 2023 to 6,531,000 tonnes in 2024. Despite the marginal decline, 2024 figures were higher than 2022, when freight volumes stood at 6,090,000 tonnes. In 2021, SGR moved 5,407,000 tonnes, while 2020 recorded 4,418,000 tonnes.

The reduction in freight haulage led to a 4.8 per cent decrease in revenue, from Sh14.685 billion in 2023 to Sh13.974 billion in 2024.

The KNBS earlier reported in the Third Quarter Gross Domestic Product Report 2024, released on January 7, that commuters using SGR in the third quarter of 2024 stood at 650,352, down from 701,132 in the same period in 2023, representing a 7.2 per cent drop.

Passenger transport via the metre gauge railway (MGR) was also affected, declining by 26.9 per cent from 3,454,000 passengers in 2023 to 2,524,000 in 2024.

Consequently, revenue earned from MGR passenger transport fell by 19.4 per cent from Sh201 million to Sh162 million.

“The decline in passengers and revenue was mainly attributed to the damage caused by flash floods on the Uplands-Kijabe-Longonot at the end of April 2024, which resulted in the disruption of services,” reads the report.

“Passenger transport to Limuru was suspended in May and June 2024, while service to Kisumu on the same line was suspended indefinitely,” it added.

Services partially resumed in December 2024, with passenger transport restored between Syokimau and Suswa SGR station, connecting to Longonot via the MGR link through Nakuru to Kisumu.

In terms of freight, KNBS notes that the volume transported via MGR rose to 1,029,000 tonnes in 2024 from 1,001,000 tonnes in 2023. However, revenue generated from freight services fell by four per cent, from Sh2 billion to Sh1.921 billion.

Overall, the value of output from the transportation and storage sector grew by 6.4 per cent from Sh3.276 trillion in 2023 to Sh3.485 trillion in 2024.

Road transport continued to dominate the sector, accounting for 75.1 per cent of the total output, compared to 76.9 per cent in 2023.

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The report further indicated that actual disbursements for road maintenance rose by 20.1 per cent to Sh80.1 billion in the 2023/24 financial year. However, the number of newly registered road motor vehicles declined by 21.4 per cent to 93,646.

There was also a 4.7 per cent decrease in the registration of motorcycles, autocycles, and three-wheelers, which stood at 72,868 in 2024. Meanwhile, road traffic accidents increased by 11.8 per cent to 11,173 cases.

At the port of Mombasa, total cargo throughput grew by 13.9 per cent to 40.986 million metric tonnes. Container traffic surged by 23.5 per cent, rising from 1.623 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2023 to 2.005 million in 2024.

The volume of white petroleum products transported via pipeline increased by 4.5 per cent to 8.514 million cubic metres in 2024, while those in transit rose by 8.0 per cent to 3.822 million cubic metres.

Air transport also recorded growth, with passengers handled at Kenyan airports increasing by 5.1 per cent to 12.832 million in 2024. International passengers rose by 9.6 per cent to 7.283 million.

Courier services showed positive performance, with private courier operator outlets rising by 10.8 per cent to 1,158 and licensed courier operators increasing by 4.5 per cent to 348. Outgoing domestic letters nearly doubled from 1.218 million in 2023 to 2.410 million in 2024.