I bet  you didn’t  know that it’ll cost you more to take a motorbike ‘taxi’ within Nairobi CBD than it will to get a return ticket to Syokimau on the train?!

I know the title already gives it away but I finally got to take the train. I’ve been wanting to go on the train for ages but I only finally got to do it this week. I’d actually wanted to go last year but somehow plans kept falling through but the gods decided that this week would be auspicious enough for me to go on the train.

The train tickets

I’ve always given myself about an hour to get to town from where I live (along Lang’ata road) but that’s coz I had never gone to town during the morning peak time. Let’s just say it was a bit of an adventure getting to the station.. *sigh* Nairobi traffic is a monster.

The empty carriage on our way to Syokimau. It was only me, my friend and the security guard

The plan was to leave the house at 7 so that I’d be at the Railway station by 8..soundssmart..yes? Well no. I should have left the house at half 6.

By 8am I was still stuck in traffic ON UHURU HIGHWAY. I remember thinking I can’t believe I got up this early only to miss the train. I was silently praying for a miracle. By 8.05am (remember the train leaves at 8.10) I was at Agip, I got off and took a motorbike Taxi which cost me 100 bob!

The train at Syokimau Station

Got to the station at exactly 8.10am *cue me running around like a headless chicken*. I literally had no idea where exactly I was meant to go. I finally meet my friend at the entrance, we buy our tickets and when we get to the barriers they wouldn’t open. I’m looking at the train on the platform and it is starting to move. We managed to get through, our super hero selves kicked in and we got on the train while it was moving (at like 1km/h but yeah). *high fives self*. The train left the station at 8.14 am which you know for a Kenyan train is quite a good thing.

Statue of Akamba Prophetess Syokimau after whom the station and area is named.

Plaque with storyline

We took the stagnant ‘escarator’  (watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpj2c5GkCVI )only to find that there was no restaurant upstairs.

Upstairs; see that guard to the left, a min later he came to tell us that we weren’t allowed to take pictures

Nairobi Railway Station; the carriage was pretty full on our way back but there was enough seating space for everybody.

My friend at the barriers back in Nairobi.  They’re not the best.

I’d definitely take the train again, it’s definitely not like the tube or subway but it is such a pleasan change from other forms of public transport. For those interested here are the train times

From Nairobi station to Syokimau station 08:10 and 19:30 hrs and from Syokimau Station to Nairobi Station at 09:00 and 18:45 hrs. Those are the off-peak train times so a one way journey will only cost you Ksh30!!

This was meant to be a mini post, only had my phone with me so excuse the quality of the pictures (Hey Samsung, feel like giving me an S4 to review?)