At about 2:10 pm on November 27, 2021, Kenya time, the Mombasa-Nairobi railway passenger train departed from Mombasa and slowly drove into the Nairobi Station of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway after honking its whistle. The reporter saw on the platform that passengers were walking out of the carriages carrying large bags, some went to the feeder train platform leading to downtown Nairobi, and some went directly to the parking lot.

After about half an hour, the passengers waiting in the waiting room began to walk up to the platform and board the same train. The terminal was Mombasa Station. Sylvia Zibalak, a cabin attendant in Car 8, has been working on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway for about 3 years. She told reporters that she worked as a salesperson before and later joined the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. "More and more people choose the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway to travel, especially on weekends, when the train cars are full." She said.

“The standard-gauge railway passenger train service featuring safety, speed, comfort and cheapness has become the preferred mode of transportation for Kenyans,” said Li Jiuping, general manager of the Africa Star Railway Operation Company, which is responsible for the operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. The number of senders has always maintained a steady growth. In particular, the number of passenger trains will be added during the peak season and holidays. The current passenger capacity has exceeded the daily average of 10,000 passengers. During the peak period of passenger transport, it is difficult to find a ticket. It is expected that the number of passengers sent throughout the year will be in 2021. There were 2 million passengers, a record high."

Li Jiuping said that the company adjusted the bus organization in a timely manner according to the characteristics of local people's travel, formulated a large passenger flow plan to meet passenger travel, and ensured the supply of railway transportation capacity during holidays and passenger transportation data continued to improve. He said that the company has also opened two more passenger trains "Evening and Chaozhi", making it easier to travel between Nairobi and Mombasa.

He said that despite the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the total number of passengers sent by the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway in 2021 is still showing a steady growth momentum, and the freight volume of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is also increasing year by year. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway was opened in 2017 and transported 699,000 passengers and 13,000 standard containers of goods.

Li Jiuping said that an average of 17 freight trains will be operated every day in 2021. As of October 31, 2021, 382,000 standard containers have been sent, an increase of 8.6% year-on-year. Since the opening, a total of 1,480,900 standard containers have been sent.

Li Jiuping said that after the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the Kenyan government implemented a national curfew and some counties and counties to lock down the city. Passenger trains on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway were suspended for several months due to the epidemic. Intermittent transportation, in addition to the normal arrival of cargo, also increased the transportation of bulk grains, epidemic prevention materials and other daily necessities, and continuously transported epidemic prevention and daily supplies to the hinterland of East Africa to help the locals fight the epidemic.

He said that the efficient and fast railway transportation mode of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has been recognized by the market. Under the premise of maintaining the basic supply of containers at the Port of Mombasa, Africa Star has increased the volume of non-container cargo such as grain, cement clinker, and fertilizer; vigorously develops new freight products, special bulk grain container trains, ultra-long marshalled container trains, and double New freight products such as multi-layer container trains have been widely praised and recognized by shippers.

Kenyan Minister of Transport and Infrastructure James Macharia said at the celebration ceremony for the second anniversary of the opening of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway that the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has had a positive impact on improving people's livelihood. Machariya said that for the Kenyan people, the Mombasa-Nairobi train service provides new jobs and opportunities to learn skills. It also helps solve the transportation bottleneck that restricts Kenya’s development, and contributes to Kenya’s tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing industries. The industry is infused with vitality.

According to reports, Africa Star currently has 2,348 relevant employees, of which 1,898 are Kenyan employees, and 52 positions including train conductors are all independently operated by Kenyan employees.

In addition, the operator of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway spared no effort to promote skills training. Mbugua is a train dispatcher on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway joined the ranks of operations shortly after it was opened to traffic. In his view, technology transfer from China is the key to the good operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway and has a lasting impact on the career development and personal life of young colleagues. Mbugua was commended as one of the 27 first prize winners of the skills competition at the 1,000-day commendation meeting for the safe operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway in 2020. At the same time, 10 security guards and 10 outstanding Chinese tutors were also commended.

Mbugua said gratefully: "Training and guidance broadened my horizons and laid a solid foundation for my career development." He once went to China to participate in training, learning railway technology, safety management and customer care.

As the first female drivers recruited by the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, 7 Kenyan girls including Kangxi went to Baoji Railway Technician College, Shaanxi, China for 50 days of training in January 2017, and they were familiar with and mastered the structure and work of diesel locomotives produced in China. Principles and so on. Back in Kenya, Consi continued to learn in practice. From checking the train along the tracks to controlling the dashboard of the cab, the Chinese master Yang Ming gave Kangxi all his heart. "I saw from him the Chinese people's prudent, meticulous, and kind-hearted qualities." Kangxi said. In addition to the rapid development of professional skills, Kangxi's Chinese proficiency has also reached the fourth level of the Chinese Proficiency Test, and has been successfully promoted to instruct the driver to be responsible for training a new batch of students.

The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway connects Mombasa, the largest port in East Africa, and Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. It was opened on May 31, 2017. The total length of the railway is about 480 kilometers. It is the first railway built by Kenya since its independence. It is a modern railway constructed with Chinese standards, Chinese technology and Chinese equipment.Editor/XuNing