NAIROBI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Passenger traffic on Kenya's standard gauge railway (SGR) trains increased 20.1 percent in 2022, as more citizens defied the tough electioneering period during the year to shuttle between Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, and Mombasa at the coast, according to data from the government statistician released Friday.
The Nairobi-Mombasa SGR transported 2.39 million passengers during the period, up from 1.99 million in 2021, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
Passenger service of the Chinese-built railway generated 2.6 billion shillings (about 19.8 million U.S. dollars) in revenue in 2022, up from 16.6 million dollars in 2021, the KNBS said.
Similarly, freight service maintained an upward trend as economic activities picked up, hauling 6.01 million metric tons of cargo that generated 95.5 million dollars in earnings in 2022, up from 5.41 million metric tons that fetched 91.8 million dollars in revenue in 2021, according to the KNBS.
The passenger train service has become a key means of transport for residents in Kenya thanks to its reliability, affordability and speed in relation to alternatives like buses.
Kenya Railways said Friday that customers had fully booked the train from Nairobi to Mombasa ahead of the Easter holiday. ■