Five years after its launch, Kenya's Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has become more than a transport milestone—it's rewriting personal stories across the East African nation. For single mother Faith Methu, the railway transformed a fractured family dynamic into a lifeline of hope.
Separated from her husband and struggling to support her daughter, Faith relocated from Mombasa to Nairobi for work, leaving her 6-year-old behind. 'The 500km gap felt endless,' she shares. Before the SGR’s 2017 debut, unreliable transport forced agonizing choices between income and family time.
Today, the SGR’s modern trains cut travel time from 12+ hours to under 5, with 98% punctuality rates. Faith now visits weekly: 'Every journey home reminds me we're building a future together.' Over 10 million passengers have used the line since its launch, with parent-child reunions driving a 30% spike in weekend ridership.
Beyond personal stories, the railway fuels economic mobility—connecting port cities to inland markets while empowering Kenya’s workforce. As Faith prepares to train as a station manager, her story echoes across the tracks: infrastructure isn’t just about steel and speed, but the lives it stitches together.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
