Kenya Railways (KR) will introduce premium class seats on its standard gauge rail (SGR) passenger trains within the next two weeks.

These seats will cost up to three times the current fares for first-class coaches on the Madaraka Express train between Nairobi and Mombasa.

The new service, launching next month, will charge passengers Sh12,000 for premium class seats from Nairobi to Mombasa, aiming to enhance the passenger experience between the two destinations.

**Premium class coach service on the Madaraka Express passenger train will start in the next two weeks.

Adults will pay Sh12,000 while children will part with Sh6,000 between Nairobi and Mombasa,** said the corporation in response to our queries on Tuesday.

The corporation stated that the premium class carriages will offer passengers special extras, including more space and entertainment options.

Additionally, the coaches will feature extra storage options for travelers with additional baggage, designated shoe storage space, automated window shutters, and rotating seats.

The newly acquired premium class standard gauge railway (SGR) coaches were flagged off at the Port Rietz Freight Station in Mombasa on July 22, 2024.

Passengers using premium class coaches in the morning will be entitled to a full breakfast and lunch.

Those traveling in the evening will have dinner on the train, while refreshments will be served throughout their journey.

**The service targets middle-class travelers going in either direction for leisure.

We are not competing with airlines,** said KRC.

The premium class service on SGR passenger trains between Nairobi and Mombasa comes less than seven months after Kenya Railways adjusted passenger fares on the fastest trains between the two towns.

The adjustments, which took effect in January this year, saw passengers pay Sh4,500 on first-class coaches, up from Sh3,000—an increase of 50 percent.

The government slashed the fares to Sh700 from the initially agreed Sh900 during the launch of the Sh327 billion railway to drive traffic in the country’s biggest infrastructure project since independence.

Kenya tapped over half a trillion shillings from Chinese lenders to fund the construction of the SGR from Mombasa to Naivasha.

Taxpayers have been forced to shoulder the burden of the SGR loans because revenues generated from the passenger and cargo services on the track are not enough to meet operation costs, which stood at Sh18.

5 billion in the year to June 2022 against sales of Sh15 billion.