Kenya Railways Reveals Another Way To Buy Tickets After Disruption of SGR Booking Services

The Kenya Railways Corporation has announced that Kenyans can purchase Standard Guage Railway (SGR) train tickets over the counter. This followed a disruption of online booking services for the train.

In a statement, the railway corporation on Friday, January 24 attributed this to a technical challenge with its booking platforms, rendering customers unable to purchase tickets online.

However, Kenya Railways announced that its technical team was working to promptly address the matter.

"We are currently experiencing a technical challenge with our booking platforms. As a result, customers are unable to purchase tickets online," read the notice in part.

Kenyans outside the Mombasa Terminus. /FILE

"Our technical team is addressing the issue and we anticipate normalcy will be restored as soon as possible."

Kenya Railways was forced to clarify the matter after a section of Kenyans online expressed their frustrations over the corporation's delay in addressing the matter which they claimed immensely inconvenienced them.

Those seeking to make their bookings were requested to do them physically as the technical hitch was resolved. Notably, the exact timelines for the repairs were not detailed. 

"In the meantime, customers are advised to purchase tickets over the counter at the nearest Madaraka Express Passenger Service station. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused," Kenya Railways added.

The SGR formally began its operations in 2018 and has offered Kenyans an alternative means of transport between the cities of Nairobi and Mombasa. The SGR which was built at a cost of more than Ksh350 billion, rose sharply in popularity in its early days among Kenyans seeking alternative and safe ways of travelling between Nairobi and Mombasa cities, on a friendly budget.

However, it has experienced occasional challenges including service disruption, which has led to frustrations in terms of passengers using the train.

For instance, on October 31, 2024, Kenya Railways notified passengers travelling to Nairobi from Mombasa via the SGR of delays for close to two hours, without revealing what caused the challenge.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in its Third Quarter Gross Domestic Product Report 2024 released on Tuesday, January 7 revealed that the SGR recorded a passenger drop of 50,780. 

The report indicated that commuters using train services reduced from 701,132 passengers in the third quarter of 2023 to 650,352 passengers in the same period in 2024, a 7.2 per cent drop.