File photo for representational purposes from Kenya Railway's official social media handles.
Passenger traffic on Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) grew by 10.3% in the first half of 2026, driven by a steady surge in travel demand across the country, according to provisional figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
KNBS reported on Tuesday that passenger volume reached about 1.31 million through the end of June, up from about 1.19 million recorded during the same period in 2025. The figures are sourced from the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC).
According to the KNBS, passenger numbers sustained an upward trajectory despite a 50 percent fare hike introduced in January 2024, as both domestic commuters and international tourists bound for the coastal city of Mombasa continued to prioritize speed and convenience.
On the freight side, the volume of cargo hauled by the SGR reached about 4.1 million tonnes in the first half of 2026, up from about 3.56 million tonnes recorded during the same period in 2025.
According to the KNBS, cargo operations generated about 70.9 million U.S. dollars in revenue over the six-month period, up from about 68.1 million dollars in the first half of 2025.
The dual expansion in passenger and freight traffic coincides with the railway's first annual operating profit since its 2017 launch.
The line delivered an operating profit of 24.7 million dollars in the 2025/2026 fiscal year, according to KRC.
In the annual report, KRC attributed the freight performance to more daily freight train operations, additional cargo handling equipment at the Port of Mombasa, optimized rolling stock and better train scheduling.
