Kenya’s SGR freight volume surpasses 50 million tonnes

What the report says

The Independent Uganda, citing Xinhua, reported that cumulative freight carried on Kenya’s Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has passed 50 million tonnes. The operator said the total reached 50.015 million tonnes by July 26, with the milestone announced on Monday. The railway, a major China-Kenya cooperation project under the Belt and Road Initiative, has been in service since May 31, 2017.

According to the report, Africa Star Railway Operation Company, known as Afristar, said the line has also transported 18.606 million passengers and maintained more than 3,300 consecutive days of safe operations. Afristar provides operational and technical support for the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR. The 472-kilometre route links the port city of Mombasa with Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, and is described in the report as the country’s first modern railway built since independence.

Freight services began in 2018, initially focused mainly on containerized goods. The Independent Uganda reported that the cargo mix has widened to include grain, fertilizer, steel, cement clinker, agricultural products and cold-chain freight. The report said volumes and efficiency have improved over time, with the railway strengthening the link between the Port of Mombasa and inland markets.

The milestone matters because the corridor is central to Kenya’s logistics system and regional trade flows moving through Mombasa. The report said the SGR has helped improve logistics efficiency, lower overall transport costs and support industrial and supply chains. Afristar said it would continue working with Kenya Railways to increase capacity and improve service quality.