Editor's Review

  • The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has announced that it is working on a plan to rollout day and night Kisumu train services effective December 2021.

The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has announced that it is working on a plan to rollout day and night Kisumu train services effective December 2021.

Speaking to Business Daily, KRC Managing Director Philip Mainga said the agency is aware of increased transport demand in December, thus the decision to move in and leverage on the high traffic especially to Western parts of the country.

Though he did not reveal the exact date when the Kisumu service will kick off, Mainga noted that it is expected to link with the SGR and provide seamless service to persons travelling from Mombasa to Kisumu.

“All is set and we must have a passenger train on the refurbished line Kisumu this December. It will operate days and night,” he told the local daily.


Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director Philip Mainga. [Photo: Courtesy]

Reports indicate that travelers heading to Kisumu will be ferried to Naivasha via the SGR line, after which they be transferred to the old meter gauge that will then take them to Kisumu and vice versa.

KRC is yet to announce how much it will cost travelers for a ride between Nairobi and Kisumu.

If successfully launched, this will be the first time in ten years that a passenger train will be using the Western Kenya railway. The service was stopped over 10 years ago due to poor infrastructure.

Currently, most buses travelling to Western Kenya are fully booked for December, with more than here weeks to go before the festivities. The introduction of the Kisumu train service will therefore offer relief for customers who are yet to book bus services.