Africa-Press – Kenya. Passengers aboard the Nairobi and Mombasa bound Madaraka Express were left stranded after both trains were stopped midway over a safety scare on the rail path.
A passenger aboard the 3 pm express train from Mombasa told Kenyans.co.ke, that their journey was cut short at a stop between Mtito Andei and Kibwezi at about 5.30 pm.
The passenger, who chose to remain anonymous, explained that the train from Nairobi was also stopped due to a safety scare. He indicated that a section of the rail was appeared vandalised by unknown individuals.
“The train stopped at about 5.30 pm. We were told that there was a section of the track had been damaged, which could have resulted in greater loss if we proceeded,” he stated.
In an announcement made by Kenya Railways, the corporation confirmed the disruption in travel.
“We have made an unscheduled stop on the Madaraka Express Passenger Service this afternoon for a safety check on the section between Mtito Andei and Kibwezi stations. Our personnel are addressing the situation and the journey will resume shortly, ” the statement read in part.
As at the time of publishing, the two trains had been cleared after the engineers worked on the damaged rail path and confirmed the safety of the passengers.
“They sent their engineers to sort out the problem. They have taken roughly one and a half hours,” he added.
The incident comes barely a week after yet another SGR train stalled midway on November 18. According to Kenya Railways, the train developed mechanical problems causing undue delay and inconvenience to the passengers.
The corporation stated that it had dispatched a rescue locomotive to enable the passengers complete the journey following the unexpected interruption of their journey. As a result, the expected arrival time changed from 1.30 p.m to 4.20p.m.
The delay is affected the schedule of the afternoon passenger train from Mombasa as well as the 10pm train.
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