NAIROBI — The number of passengers using the standard gauge railway train in Kenya maintained a steady rise in September as economic activities surged amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya, the operator said.
During the month, some 43,235 passengers used the train that shuttles between the capital Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa, the latest data from Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) showed on Wednesday.
This was a rise from 32,641 in August and 19,502 in July, the month when the service was restored after it was halted due to restrictions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rise in the passenger numbers since the resumption of the service, which has since been normalized as two trains run to and from Nairobi and Mombasa daily, is an indication of increased demand.
Among those traveling to the Kenyan Coast are teams going for conferences, which have picked up in the past months as organizations regularize their operations.
Revenue from the passenger service stood at 51.8 million shillings (about 479,972 U.S. dollars) in September, up from 365,740 dollars in August and 211,111 dollars in July.
The tonnage of cargo ferried by the SGR train in September stood at 369,246 tons, a slight fall from 414,775 in August.
Since the year began, the train service, operated by a Chinese company, has ferried 3.12 million tons of cargo, according to KRC.
