Recently, 42 students from a primary school along the Nariobi-Malaba Railway entered the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway for the first time and were excited by the colorful experience of the visit.

The students, led by 4 teachers, dressed in red school uniforms and wearing beige sun hats with the logo of the African star, boarded the C2 passenger train that started from Ngong in the morning. On the train, some of the children were curiously observing the facilities and equipment, while others were staring at the flying sceneries outside the window. When the train passed the Nairobi National Park bridge, the wild animals outside the window, such as zebras, giraffes and gazelles, gained cheers from the students.

At the Nairobi station, with the assistance of the staff and teachers, the children used the platform escalator for the first time. The children also experienced self-service ticket machines and gates, and gained a better understanding of the advanced ticketing and customer service systems.

The children visited Ngong station and Nairobi station, from the ticket hall and the waiting room to the passenger train, and experienced first-hand the various aspects of rail travel as an ordinary passenger, including entering the security check, purchasing tickets, waiting for trains, boarding and alighting, and leaving the station.

Jane Ross, a teacher at the primary school, said, "We enjoyed the excellent service of the standard gauge railroad and our students all had a great time, they learned many new things that were unknown before and had a more impressive impression of the standard gauge railroad in Kenya."

A student was very pleased with the trip, she said, "I am 10 years old this year and this is my first trip by standard gauge railway trains and it was fantastic!"

 

Since May 2017, Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has organized a total of 118 free trips for elementary school students. For the children, a short train trip not only let them feel the great changes brought by the Standard Gauge Railway to Kenya's transportation development, but also opened a door for them to go out of the community to the outside world.