Kenya's SGR train ferries 7.8 mln passengers since inception

The first train of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) arrives at Nairobi Terminus in Nairobi, Kenya, May 31, 2017. Kenya has now found a new lifeline in the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) since its launch on May 31, 2017. Data from Afristar, the SGR operator, show the modern railway has transported more than 7.7 million passengers in the last five years. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

NAIROBI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The standard gauge railway (SGR) passenger train has moved some 7.78 million passengers between the capital, Nairobi and Mombasa since its inception in June 2017, a national statistics agency said in a report released on Wednesday.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said the Chinese-built train carried the highest number of passengers -- two million -- in 2021, with 2018 coming second at 1.67 million.

The train ferried 699,055 passengers in 2017, 1.59 million passengers in 2019, and 1.29 million passengers in 2020, said KNBS.

The Presidential Strategic Communication Unit (PSCU) told journalists in Nairobi that millions of passengers using the SGR is a display of popularity of the train dubbed Madaraka Express.

"The train has reduced travel time for passengers from Nairobi to Mombasa from an average of 10 hours to only five," said the PSCU on Wednesday in a brief on government projects. 

Kenyans sing and dance beside one of the first batch of locomotives for the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Mombasa, Kenya, Jan. 11, 2017. Kenya has now found a new lifeline in the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) since its launch on May 31, 2017. Data from Afristar, the SGR operator, show the modern railway has transported more than 7.7 million passengers in the last five years. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

Passengers take a train from Nairobi to Mombasa along the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya, June 9, 2017. Kenya has now found a new lifeline in the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) since its launch on May 31, 2017. Data from Afristar, the SGR operator, show the modern railway has transported more than 7.7 million passengers in the last five years. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

People leave Nairobi Station after getting off the train of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 17, 2021. Kenya has now found a new lifeline in the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) since its launch on May 31, 2017. Data from Afristar, the SGR operator, show the modern railway has transported more than 7.7 million passengers in the last five years. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Guests attend the launching ceremony at Nairobi Terminus of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya, Nov. 1, 2017. Kenya has now found a new lifeline in the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) since its launch on May 31, 2017. Data from Afristar, the SGR operator, show the modern railway has transported more than 7.7 million passengers in the last five years. (Xinhua/Lyu Shuai)

Staff members guide as a passenger passes a fare gate at Mombasa Terminus of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya, June 1, 2017. Kenya has now found a new lifeline in the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) since its launch on May 31, 2017. Data from Afristar, the SGR operator, show the modern railway has transported more than 7.7 million passengers in the last five years. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei)

People board a train of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) at Ngong Station in Kenya, March 25, 2022. Kenya has now found a new lifeline in the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) since its launch on May 31, 2017. Data from Afristar, the SGR operator, show the modern railway has transported more than 7.7 million passengers in the last five years. (Xinhua/Long Lei)