'We are overwhelmed': Kenya Railways responds to pictures of students sitting on SGR floor
An SGR train at the Nairobi terminus.
Kenya Railways was forced to issue a statement on Monday after pictures of students sitting on the floor of the Madaraka Express appeared on social media.
In its statement, Kenya Railways said it was overwhelmed by the number of students booking its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) trains during the back-to-school period.
It added that despite adding more coaches to its fleet, the number of bookings had exceeded its capacity.
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"We wish to inform members of the public that following the announcement by the government on the reopening of primary and secondary schools, the corporation has received an overwhelming demand for passenger services between Sunday, May 12th and Monday, May 13th, 2024, including students wishing to travel back to school in time for reopening," the statement read in part.
"The Corporation further wishes to advise the public that we had already introduced additional coaches in both economy and first class to accommodate the students who had booked earlier before the postponement of the school opening dates. However, the demand over the last two days has been overwhelming."
They added that they are doing everything possible to ensure that no passengers, including students, are left behind and that all students arrive safely at their various destinations.
"We assure all our customers that the corporation is doing everything possible to ensure that no passengers, including students, are left behind and that all students arrive safely at their various destinations," the statement added.
This comes amid reports that some students whose tickets were carried forward after schools reopening was postponed were ejected from their seats to give way for current tickets.
Kenya Railways last month announced that they will extend the usage of Madaraka express tickets for students who had booked before the school opening dates were postponed.
In a notice, the corporation said the tickets which were to be used by the students travelling back to schools beginning April 29 until May 3, were to remain open for use from May 6-10.
The tickets, it stated, will exclusively apply to students and their guardians.
The reopening was delayed for two weeks following heavy rains in the country that led to flooding in most parts.
Schools in the country officially reopened on Monday, with the government saying more than 2000 of them remained closed due to the effects of the floods.
