Inaugural SGR Cargo Train Ferries 104 Containers from Mombasa to Nairobi

A maiden Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo train on Monday evening arrived at the ultra-modern inland container depot in Nairobi carrying 104 containers.

President Kenyatta said the SGR cargo service will significantly cut down the cost of doing business in the country. During his New Year address to the nation, the President said the new commercial cargo train would reduce cost and delays in business for Kenyans and its neighbors.

The 104 containers the inaugural cargo train carried are reportedly equivalent to the entire number of containers ferried by trucks operating along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway on a daily basis.

Kenya Ports Authority head of Inland Container Deports Symon Wahome said the service will transform the transportation of cargo in Kenya.

“While the meter train used to carry twenty to thirty containers, the standard gauge train will carry 216 containers,” said Wahome.