Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday took a ride on the relaunched Standard Meter commuter train.
Raila took a trip from Muhoroni to Kisumu so as to assure “Kenyans of its safety”.
He was accompanied by Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya, Kisumu’s Prof Anyang Nyong’o and James Ongwae of Kisii, among others.
This comes hours after the newly launched Nairobi-Kisumu commuter train stalled around Tamu area in Muhoroni leaving passengers stranded.
Kenya Railways explained that the train stalled due to heavy rains experienced in the area.
“We wish to inform the public that the Kisumu bound train encountered a slight hitch occasioned by the heavy rains that earlier pounded the Muhoroni area,” said the state corporation.
“The issue has since been sorted out and the train is already on the way to Kisumu. We sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused as a result.”
The train that was scheduled to arrive in Kisumu a few minutes past 6 pm arrived at 10.28 pm.
The Nairobi to Kisumu train started carrying passengers on Friday with passengers being charged Ksh600 for economy class and Ksh2,000 for first class.
Due to high demand, Kenya Railways added three more trains for the Kisumu route.
“We have added an additional passenger train from Nairobi to Kisumu to cater for increased demand for travellers heading to Western Kenya during this festive season,” said Kenya Railways Managing Director Philip Mainga.
“We are also planning to add another train from Kisumu to Nairobi on December 25 and on January 2, 2022.”
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