Kenya's SGR cargo haulage set to hit a new high in 2023 as usage grows

The first freight train of the Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) arrives at the Naivasha Inland Container Depot in Kenya, on Dec. 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

Kenya's standard gauge railway (SGR) freight service recorded an 8 percent rise in cargo hauled in the first nine months of 2023 as usage is set to hit a new high at the end of the year, the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) said in a report released Thursday in the capital of Nairobi.

NAIROBI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's standard gauge railway (SGR) freight service recorded an 8 percent rise in cargo hauled in the first nine months of 2023 as usage is set to hit a new high at the end of the year, the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) said in a report released Thursday in the capital of Nairobi.

The Chinese-built modern railway ferried 4.91 million metric tons of cargo between Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa during the period, an increase from 4.55 million metric tons of cargo in a similar period in 2022, said the KRC.

The bulk of cargo during the months to September was ferried in the third quarter, when haulage stood at 1.73 million metric tons, followed by 1.60 million metric tons in quarter two and 1.57 million metric tons in quarter one.

With the last quarter of the year being one of the busiest in terms of trade in Kenya, usage of the service is expected to surge, pushing the volumes above last year's level.

In 2022, the train hauled 6.09 million metric tons of cargo. Up to 580,000 metric tons of cargo has been ferried every month in 2023, thus usage is expected to clock at least 6.6 million metric tons, according to the KRC.

People board a train of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) at Ngong Station in Kenya, March 25, 2022.(Xinhua/Long Lei)

The number of passengers who used the SGR commuter service similarly rose during the period to 1.95 million, up from 1.74 million in a similar period in 2022. ■