This archive report was first published on 19 October 2019.
On October 16, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the inaugural Nairobi-Suswa Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line, but it seems the project has gotten off to a rocky start.
According to a recent spot check by a local media house, the trains are making round trips to Suswa while empty, with less than 15 passengers on all 4 carriages of the train from Ngong station.
Residents and commuters have cited the poor state of the access roads leading to the train station and the high cost of maintenance as major challenges facing the commuter train.
"The roads and the conditions that they are in have put us completely off from using the train," said a Rongai resident.
Another commuter lamented about the connections to the train stations, saying it's more expensive than using a matatu. "Our biggest issue is the cost. This was supposed to make it easier for us to commute but now I have to pay more than Ksh.500...," they said.
The new route has been criticized for sitting beyond the basics of inter-city travel, with train stations falling outside the target satellite towns. Phase 2A of the railway line ends abruptly in a remote village, earning it the blunt headline 'Railroad to nowhere'.
