Kenya Railways has addressed concerns over delays experienced on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Madaraka Express on Sunday, August 2, describing the disruptions as a rare, one-time event.
Following complaints from several travellers about extended travel times, the corporation issued an apology, stating, “We sincerely apologise for the delays and inconvenience experienced during your journey.” They emphasized that the delays were exceptional and confined to that particular day.
Despite this, some passengers have shared experiences of similar delays on earlier journeys, prompting questions about the consistency of the SGR service. For instance, one traveller reported departing Nairobi at 3:00 pm but arriving in Mombasa only at 10:40 pm, well beyond the usual schedule. Another passenger noted a train leaving Mombasa at 8:00 am reached Nairobi at 2:40 pm, highlighting concerns over punctuality and communication.
Under normal conditions, the Madaraka Express completes the Nairobi-Mombasa route in approximately five hours and 10 to 18 minutes, depending on the specific service and stops. Scheduled arrival times for the cited journeys would typically be around 8:10 pm for Nairobi to Mombasa and 1:10 pm for Mombasa to Nairobi.
Kenya Railways has previously adjusted SGR schedules in response to extraordinary circumstances such as flooding and heavy traffic, sometimes delaying train departures to accommodate affected passengers. For example, the 10:00 pm Nairobi-Mombasa night train has been postponed to midnight during severe weather events.
While the corporation maintains that the Sunday delays were isolated, ongoing passenger reports suggest concerns about the reliability of the SGR service remain.
