Kenya Railways on Monday, July 22 launched the highly anticipated executive coaches on the Madaraka Express aimed at improving travel experience for passengers.
The railway authority received four new premium coaches for the Standard Gauge Railway(SGR) trains, along with four first class, ten economy, one dining and one power car, equipped with luxe amenities such as recliner seats, extra storage and entertainment options.
“The much-awaited Premium Class coaches are here. The four Premium coaches are among a batch of ten economy-class coaches, one dining car, one power car and four first-class coaches. The offloading is taking place at the Port of Mombasa,” Kenya Railways posted on X.
The luxury coach differs from other wagons, with only 28 seats to provide ample legroom as compared to the standard wagons with a seating capacity of 72 passengers per coach.
“KR Premium is set to redefine luxury travel with exclusive amenities and world-class comfort,” the cooperation added.
The executive coaches also offer additional storage space for passengers including storage space for shoes.
According to Kenya Railways, the configuration of the premium class will allow passengers to face the direction of their choice while travelling and includes automated window shutters.
With the new upgrade, fares have been increased to cater to the extra percuisites such as specialized catering, privacy and priority boarding and disembarking. Kenyans will have to part with KShs 12,000 in ticket prices from Nairobi to Mombasa, almost a 400 per cent increase from the current first class tickets which range from Kshs 3,000 to Kshs 3,800.
This has sparked mixed reactions from netizens who argued that the tickets are extremely overpriced and do not accommodate the average passenger.
Many opined that fares should be set at an affordable price to boost railway travel as a preferred mode of transport to and from Mombasa from Nairobi. With such hiked prices, travellers are expected to skip using the Madaraka Express.
