The Kenya Railways has marked with pomp the eight years of the Madaraka express train from Nairobi to Mombasa a journey which started with
the Lunatic Line in 1896 at Kilindini Habour and reached Kisumu in 1901.The Lunatic Line played a vital role in the development of our nation. It played a big part in facilitating trade, provided employment, led to growth of industries, fostered development that was mainly concentrated along the railway corridor and most importantly provided an avenue for international trade.
The National Government made the strategic decision to construct a high speed, high capacity Standard Gauge Railway Line which was deemed to be equal to the demand that existed which culminated to Standard Gauge Railway Line construction in 2014.Operations commenced on June 1, 2017 a historic day as H.E Uhuru Kenyatta, the retired President flagged off the first Madaraka express.
Speaking during the celebrations attended by the Ambassador of china H.E Guo Haiya and the Managing Director Kenya railways Phillip Mainga chairman Kenya Railways Mr Abdi Bare has lauded the 2019 commissioning of Phase 2A which has seen construction of the Standard Gauge Railway line from Nairobi to Naivasha.This section is also operational and the Naivasha Inland Container Depot has served to take cargo closer to our neighbouring countries,added the chairman.
The outcry from the public was great leading to introduction of the stops along the route. This is the current Inter-County train which stops at seven stations in the seven counties traversed by the line.The demand grew and later saw the introduction of the afternoon Express train, which was later followed by a Night time Express train redifining the travel experience from Nairobi to Mombasa.
To date, the Madaraka Express Passenger Service has transported over 15.3 million passengers. The demand is still there as more Kenyans are seeking to use the service. The Madaraka Express Freight Service too has enhanced transportation of cargo. To date, the service has transported over 39.78 million tonnes.
