On May 31, the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has officially opened the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway linking the two cities on a 472 km line. The President inaugurated the Madaraka Express passenger service, currently operational with one train leaving Mombasa and another leaving Nairobi. The train passes Kwale, Taita Taveta, Makueni, Kajiado, Machakos and Nairobi stops. President Kenyatta, who was accompanied by Deputy President William Ruto and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, opened train stations at Mariakani in Kwale, Voi in Taita Taveta, Mtito Andei in Makueni County, Emali in Kajiado County, Athi River in Machakos County and the Nairobi Terminus at Syokimau.
“This train will change the lives of all Kenyans because it will reduce the cost of transporting goods and passengers,” said President Kenyatta.
Previous day, on May 30, the President unveiled the new railway cargo operations in Mombasa and waved a giant Kenyan flag to flag off the inaugural cargo train of the SGR, at Port Reitz in Mombasa, marking a new era where cargo will be moved twice as fast and at a cheaper price. 
The President said the SGR will make the port of Mombasa more efficient and will enhance the performance of the facility. “The foundations we lay today [on May 30] will lead us to a new chapter of industrialisation,” said the President as he promised to fast track the establishment of Special Economic Zones along the SGR. He said that the Government will build industrial parks along the Standard Gauge Railway and also build inland container deports at Voi, Naivasha and eventually in Kisumu.
The total cost of the Mombasa-Nairobi railway was KES 327 billion (EUR 2.8 billion) of which the EXIM Bank of China has covered 90% of costs, while the government 10%. The railway will reduce the travel time between the two cities from 12 hours to 4 hours allowing passenger trains to run at speeds of 160 km/h and freight trains at 100 km/h. The capacity will increase at 25 million tonnes per year, representing around 40% of the goods shipped through the Port of Mombasa.
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