Kenya Railways Corporation has released new guidelines that passengers on the SGR train will be required to follow as the train services between Nairobi and Mombasa resume operations on Monday.
To facilitate the smooth resumption of the services, the government said the corporation will provide 10 coaches to ferry close to 600 passengers during the one-way trip.
ENTRY AND EXIT
First, at the entry and exit points of the stations, all passengers will be subjected to body temperature screening and they will also be required to wash their hands and sanitise.
All passengers, staff and visitors shall undergo physical screening conducted by the security personnel, who shall at all times wear protective equipment and the entry escalators in the terminus will only be available for Persons Living with Disorders (PLWDs).
“If any passenger, staff or visitor is found with such symptoms as fever (≥37.5), fatigue and dry cough, he/she shall immediately be identified, isolated and handed over to the Health Officials for further verification and temperature checks to ascertain whether they are infected or not,” the corporation said.
Passengers will also be required to maintain a physical distance of 1.5 meters while entering the station and children below 10 years must be accompanied by the guardians when entering the station. A maximum of two children shall be accompanied by one adult.
ONLINE BOOKING
At the ticketing area, counters with glass barriers shall be manned by an officer in PPE and shall print all the tickets on behalf of the passengers. Passengers shall not be allowed to operate the ticketing machine.
Kenya Railways has also encouraged passengers to book tickets online since there will be no cash transaction at the ticketing lounge.
Refunds will also not be encouraged and passengers have been advised to reschedule instead in the evident of changed travel plans.
All restaurant operators shall be required to comply with the new guidelines for restaurants and eateries.
At the waiting lounges and lobbies, seats will be marked to direct the sitting arrangement to achieve allowable distancing.
EMPTY COACH
The corporation said that all offices within the station area shall comply with all Covid-19 protocols and that there will be separate entrances to the offices and passenger waiting areas.
The first SGR train is scheduled to depart Nairobi at 8am on Monday and arrive in Mombasa at 12:45pm.
The government will also provide a new commuter service that will link the Nairobi SGR terminus in Syokimau to Nairobi Central Business District.
This service shall run from Nairobi CBD to SGR terminus at 6:35 am in the morning. The same train will leave Mombasa at 1:25pm and is expected back in the capital at 6:40pm.
According to Cabinet Secretary of Transport James Macharia, an extra coach will leave empty and will be used to carry any suspected case of Covid-19 detected during the journey between Nairobi and Mombasa and vice versa.
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