Farahana Mghoi takes the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passenger train in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, May 23, 2022. (Photo by Eric/Xinhua)
NAIROBI, May 27 (Xinhua) -- As a veteran insurance sales agent, Farahana Mghoi, a mother of two, used to dread bus rides from her hometown of Voi in southeastern Kenya to Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, to meet a potential client.
Thanks to the Nairobi-Mombasa Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passenger train service that was launched on May 31, 2017, Mghoi has found respite from tiresome, slow and often unreliable public service vehicles that she previously used to attend to business and personal matters.
Since 2018, Mghoi has been shuttling between Nairobi, where she currently resides, and Voi, with a distance of about 328 km, on weekly basis using the modern passenger train, in her quest for more business opportunities.
During a recent interview with Xinhua ahead of the 5th anniversary since the launch of the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR passenger train service, Mghoi said it had boosted her career growth thanks to efficient, reliable and affordable mobility it has always guaranteed her whenever she travels to meet new clients.
"Before the launch of (the) SGR passenger train, I used to travel between Nairobi and Voi using public service vehicles locally known as matatus but they were tiresome and slow," said Mghoi. "However, my experience of using the SGR train has been satisfactory. It is very convenient and affordable. I am able to reach my destination on time and negotiate for a potential business opportunity with ease."
It takes an average of four hours for Mghoi to travel from Nairobi to Voi to negotiate a business deal using the SGR commuter train as opposed to up to seven hours using a bus.
She disclosed that while inside the modern train, she enjoys reading books or listening to music, adding that its punctuality has cemented trust and confidence with her clients, including small business owners.
Mghoi has traveled more than 70 times between Nairobi and Voi using the modern train service while looking for business opportunities. During holidays, she brings along her children, amid guarantee of their safety and comfort.
She belongs to a growing army of Kenyan skilled labor force, entrepreneurs and adventure-seekers who have embraced the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR passenger train service, in their quest for seamless mobility along its 480-km corridor.
Francis Gachari, a 60-year-old father of two who lectures physics at the Technical University of Mombasa, said he started using the modern train service since its launch five years ago and has reaped benefits including arriving on time at his workplace.
"I travel from Mombasa to Nairobi where my family stays every weekend using the SGR passenger train and return to Mombasa Monday. The train is punctual, safe and affordable," said Gachari.
He noted that the skilled workforce based in towns along the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR corridor has gained immensely from the seamless mobility that was unleashed by the modern train service. The Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, which is later expected to reach Malaba town on Kenya's western border with Uganda, is a critical component of China's Belt and Road Initiative whose overall goal is to enhance regional connectivity, trade and integration.
Also, the 120-km Nairobi-Suswa SGR line, a critical section of the Nairobi-Malaba SGR project, that was launched in October 2019, has been instrumental in opening north-western Kenyan counties to trade and investments.
Frequent users of the Nairobi-Suswa SGR passenger train service like Patriciah Muyoma Imbayi, a mother of two who works at a private firm on the southern edges of the Kenyan capital, praised its efficiency and affordability. She boards the train at the Ngong station adjacent to her home and about 25 km north of Nairobi for commuting to her workplace near the Nairobi-Mombasa SGR terminus.
Imbayi's monthly transport expenditure has reduced from 9,000 shillings (about 77 U.S. dollars) to 6,000 shillings, saving her 25.73 U.S. dollars, thanks to the use of the modern train service.
George Bosire, a 33-year-old commerce major and an employee of a solar company based near the Nairobi-Mombasa SGR terminus said the passenger train has enabled him to report to work on time.
Bosire, a resident of Ngong, Nairobi, has used the Nairobi-Suswa passenger train more than 160 times since 2021 and hailed its convenience, affordability, safety and reliability when compared to other public service vehicles.
As of May 26, 2022, more than 7.7 million passengers have used the SGR passenger trains between Mombasa, Nairobi and Suswa, according to Afristar, the SGR operator. ■
Farahana Mghoi takes the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passenger train in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, May 23, 2022. (Photo by Eric/Xinhua)