SGR Train (Madaraka Express) Booking

The Train service from Nairobi to/from Mombasa is locally known as Standard Gauge Railways (SGR)or Madaraka Express. The distance covered is 500km.

There are 3 services:

1. Inter-County train: Departs Mombasa and Nairobi Termini simultaneously at 8:00 am everyday. This service entails scheduled stops at Mariakani, Miasenyi, Voi, Mtito Andei, Kibwezi, Emali, and Athi River stations.
2. Express train: Departs both Mombasa and Nairobi Termini simultaneously at 3:00 pm. This service does not entail stops during the journey
3. Night train: Departs both Mombasa and Nairobi Termini simultaneously at 10:00 pm. This service does not entail stops during the journey

Traveling from Nairobi to/from Mombasa via train requires booking in advance a train ticket online either for first class or economy class coaches. The SGR train has a morning, afternoon and night schedule with ticket prices as 35$ for first class and 15$ economy class. The travel transit distance is 5 hours for afternoon and night travel which is express with no stop overs. The morning train is an inter-county train with stop overs at stations including Athi River, Emali, Kibwezi, Mtito Andei, Voi, Miasenyi, and Mariakani.

The SGR Train uses modern air-conditioned cars made in China. First class has spacious reclining seats arranged 2+2 across the car width, with fold-out tray tables and power sockets for laptops & mobiles. Complimentary water is available. Economy class has seats arranged 2+3 across the car width. There is a buffet car with table seating area serving drinks and snacks.

All SGR termini are modern. Note that the new stations in Nairobi and Mombasa are some way out of town compared to the old railway stations (metre-gauge train). Be informed that the old Nairobi Station in town links the old station at Nairobi Central Business District (C.B.D) with the new Nairobi SGR Terminus. This express link saves time while avoiding traffic on Mombasa Rd, which also serves the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (J.K.I.A). The following is a schedule of the link service.

• 6:35 am for those traveling on the Madaraka Express Inter-county (morning) train
• 12:00 pm for those traveling on the Express (afternoon) train
• 8:10 pm for those traveling on the Ni (morning) train
• 3:50 am from Nairobi Terminus to Nairobi Central station for passengers arriving from Mombasa on the Night train
• 2:30 pm from Nairobi Terminus to Nairobi Central station for passengers arriving from Mombasa on the Inter-county (morning) train
• 8:30 pm from Nairobi Terminus to Nairobi Central station for passengers arriving from Mombasa on the Express (afternoon) train

If your departure or destination in Nairobi won’t involve passing through the C.B.D, contact us for a transfer service.

How do we help?

The online booking requires that you use M-Pesa, a Kenyan mobile wallet by safaricom. This locks out anyone without the service from booking a ticket. Given the train requires prior booking, preferably 2 weeks before travel we advise you check availability on train portal before booking.

In addition to the ticket fare, we charge a 10$ Service Fee per ticket (it covers transaction charges/travel to train station).