Launched in 2017, the 480-kilometer Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, with a speed of 120 kilometers per hour for passengers and 80 kilometers per hour for freight, has cut travel time by half, from an average of 10 hours on the century-old narrow gauge railway to approximately five hours. 

Cargo of tea, flowers, grains, vehicles and "Made in Kenya" products got an easier path to the international market on the bustling freight trains. And passenger train services have become a key means of transport for residents in Kenya thanks to its reliability, affordability and speed in relation to alternatives like buses.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that passenger traffic on the SGR trains increased 20.1 percent in 2022, and freight service revenue hit $95.5 million in 2022, up from $91.8 million in 2021.