Kenya Railways cuts JKIA train fares by 40 percent

Kenya Railways has reduced fares by up to 40 percent on the railway link that runs from the city centre to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as it seeks to bring more travellers onboard.

The Kenya Railway Corporation (KRC) told Business Daily in an interview Wednesday that ticket price on the new service has been reduced to Sh150 down from Sh250.

The corporation launched operations for the railway link last December for the 20-minute ride charging as high as Sh500 on a single trip.

The service has been seeing passengers dropped at the Embakasi Railway Station from where a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus will pick them and ferry them to the JKIA.

“We have cut passenger fare on the line to help woe more travellers into the service,” said the corporation yesterday.

Players in the transport sector reckon that Sh150 train ride is cheaper and faster compared to the costly services that taxi operators charge on the road to connect between the city centre and JKIA.

The trains operates throughout the day with passengers paying Sh100 for the diesel-propelled trains (DMUs) and another Sh50 to use the buses to connect between the two destinations on a one way trip.

“The ongoing road construction along Mombasa Road has inconvenienced motorists especially those travelling into the airport in the morning. We want to provide an easier alternative,” said KRC.

The corporation is cutting passenger fare on the railway link that runs from the city centre to the JKIA barely a few months after it received the second batch of DMU’s from Spain in a Sh1.1 billion plan to decongest road traffic.