Kenya Railways (KR) has announced a major disruption in one of their passenger routes on Monday, November 25, 2024.
In a statement, Kenya Railways said that the commuter train plying the Limuru-CBD route would be unavailable and would not be used on Monday morning.
“We wish to notify members of the public that due to unavoidable circumstances, the train that plies Limuru-CBD route will not run this morning,” Kenya Railways said.
Adding: “Commuter trains serving Lukenya, Syokimau, Embakasi Village and Ruiru Stations will run as per schedule.”
While KR failed to disclose the reason for the suspension of the Limuri-Nairobi commuter train services, rainfalls in the past have led to the disruption of major train routes in the country.
Stranded passengers
The announcement leaves hundreds of passengers who rely on the train for their daily commute to Nairobi in limbo following the major rains that have begun.
The disruption comes just three years after the Limuru-CBD commuter train service was launched as part of efforts to diffuse traffic congestion in the city.
Passengers who rely on the train from Limuru for their travels to Nairobi often pay Ksh80 for the close to 40-kilometre distance for a one-way trip.
The train usually departs from Limuru at 5:30 am and passes through Kikuyu, Dagoretti, and Kibera before arriving at the Nairobi Central Station at 7:52 am.
Similarly, the evening train departs from the Nairobi Central Station at 5:50 pm and snakes its way back to arrive at Limuru Railway Station at 7:52 pm, saving commuters from the vagaries of the choking Nairobi traffic snarl-ups.
Also, the Limuru train always has a two-minute stop at each station to ensure efficiency in meeting the set times.
Decongestion plan
The Limuru train was launched as part of the Nairobi Metropolitan Transport Master Plan that is aimed at carrying out modernisation and expansion of underutilised railway transport to reduce congestion on city roads.
The announcement comes just days after the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) reported that Kenya Railways lost an estimated Ksh144 million after the number of passengers using the Standard-Gauge Railway declined by 105,782 from 281,683 in August to 175,901 in September 2024.
Overall, Kenya Railways recorded a significant dip in their passenger numbers, dropping by 171,803 between January and September in 2024, against a record 1,779,134 passengers during the same period in the year 2023.
