Kenyans traveling to Mombasa from Nairobi using the SGR Train’s Madaraka Express will now pay much more.
This is because the promotional offer of Sh. 700 per trip will be withdrawn in the next two months.
Kenya Railways managing director Atanas Maina said Friday the charges could be adjusted to Sh1,200 after approvals by the Transport Ministry.
The Sh3,000 fare for first class passenger on the train will however remain the same in the new fare regime set to be opposed by majority SGR travellers.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had in May fixed the fare at Sh700 for economy class ticket and Sh3,000 on first class ticket for passengers travelling from Nairobi to Mombasa.
This was a reduction from the initial Sh900 which had been announced earlier by Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia.
The aim was to drive traffic in the Kenya’s biggest infrastructure project since independence funded by the Exim Bank of China.
The subsidised SGR train fare is not enough to meet the operational cost in the short term.