Madaraka Express makes drastic changes on commuter bookings starting 2018

Commuters planning to travel to Mombasa or Nairobi using Madaraka Express should expect some booking changes effective from 1 January 2018.

Standard Gauge Railways has adjusted the advance ticket booking window from fourteen (14) days to thirty (30) days.

Beginning January 1, 2018, commuters will be able to purchase a ticket 30 days before the date of travel, (any period between the thirtieth day and the day of travel; or on the actual day of travel itself).

Kenya Railways Corporation CEO Atanas Maina said the change is geared towards streamlining the service, meeting the growing travel demands and improving the customer experience.

“Kenya Railways is committed to continuous identifying and instituting measures that will meet the demands of the ever increasing customer base on the service,” he said.

The booking changes come in the backdrop of Standard Gauge Railways rolling out commercial freight services.

The first train left the Port Reitz Freight station in Mombasa for the Inland Container Depot in Nairobi at 5:45 am on Monday.

The cargo service with the capability of carrying 104 containers, almost equivalent to the trucks operating daily on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway is expected to ease huge traffic jams cause by trucks witnessed daily on the busy highway.