Kenyans rush to book SGR tickets ahead of Easter

Passengers board the train at the Nairobi Terminus. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The standard gauge railway (SGR) passenger service from Nairobi to Mombasa is fully booked ahead of Good Friday, forcing holidaymakers to seek expensive alternatives like road and air travel to the coast.

The bookings register shows that the trains to Mombasa are fully booked on April 6. The April 7 service at 3 pm is also fully booked with a few seats left on the 10 pm train. 

Read: SGR records flat revenue despite increased cargo

Return trip bookings on Easter Monday from Mombasa to Nairobi have also increased as holidaymakers rush to avoid last-minute travel plans after the weekend holiday. For instance, the service on April 10 is fully booked.

Increased booking on the SGR is set to boost bus owners and domestic airlines like Kenya Airways, Jambojet, Skyward Express and Safarilink.

Airlines such as Safarilink have also increased fares from Nairobi to Mombasa ahead of the Easter holiday on early bookings to charge up to Sh24,000 one a one-way ticket on the route.

“There is a lot of domestic travel which has continued post-Covid -19 pandemic and as you know, there is a general recovery in the sector. This is why we are recording increased bookings on Coastal Kenya routes during the Easter holiday,” said Safarilink Chief Executive Alex Avedi on Wednesday.

Passengers on the routes usually pay less than Sh10,000 on a one-way air ticket when demand for air travel is low with the carrier.

Read: SGR trains fully booked, airfares double ahead of Xmas

Some airlines like Skyward Express are already fully booked from March 31 to April 8 on the Malindi route.

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