Bonface Kanyamwaya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than 10 years of financial, economy, business, markets and aviation expertise, providing insights into Kenya and global trends.

The number of passengers who used the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) dropped by 282,000 in 2024 compared to a similar period in 2023, a new report shows.

Data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on Tuesday, May 6, shows that in 2024, 2,447,000 passengers used the SGR, which was a 10.3% drop, bearing in mind that some 2,729,000 passengers used the train in the previous year.

"The increase in revenue was mainly due to a 50% fare hike implemented in January 2024," said the report seen by in part.

Despite the drop in passenger numbers, revenue rose significantly by 39.4% from KSh 2.94 billion to KSh 4.099 billion.

Although there was a drop in the number of customers who used the train in 2024, the number was still higher compared to those who used the service in 2022.

In 2022, a total of 2,392,000 passengers used the train that plies routes such as Nairobi and Mombasa.

The 2024 number was also higher compared to the number of passengers who used the train in 2021. In 2021, SGR carried 1,993,000 users. However, in 2020, just at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SGR carried 812,000 passengers, the lowest in the last four years.

The 2025 Economic Survey report further shows that there was a drop in terms of the number of cargoes in 2024.

The data indicates that the volume of cargo transported through the SGR dropped from 6,533,000 tonnes in 2023 to 6,531,000 tonnes, representing a drop of 0.03%.

However, the 2024 numbers were higher than the volume of cargo transported by the train in 2022. In that year, freight volume stood at 6,090,000 tonnes.

The 2021 figure was, however, lower, standing at 5,407,000 tonnes. On the other hand, the volume of cargo transported in 2020 was much lower at 4,418,000 tonnes, the lowest in the last four years.

Meanwhile, KRC is set to fully take over the full operation of the SGR operations from Africa Star Railways Operation Company by the end of this year.

At the moment, 98% of SGR operations are managed by KRC as it positions itself to have more Kenyan local expertise run the train.

KRC management recently confirmed that railways contribute about 3% to Kenya's GDP.

Source: TUKO.co.ke