There was chaos on Sunday night following abrupt suspension of train services from Mombasa to Nairobi.
The move, which caught travellers unawares, left hundreds stranded at the Mombasa terminus.
Left with no option, some decided to pass time seated on the open fields in darkness.
The services were expected to resume on Monday with a huge backlog.
Some of those stranded were coming from Summer Tides festival in Diani, which police had deemed a breeding ground for chaos in Nairobi and Mombasa.
There was also heavy traffic caused by vehicles that had come to the terminus to drop their loved ones ahead of boarding the train.
The stranded passengers said they had not received any update from officials at the terminus over the matter.
Some passengers said they had arrived at the station two hours earlier to book their train to Nairobi, when they found the train service was unavailable.
“The SGR team has not communicated if they are going to issue a refund, they have not communicated if they are going to offer accommodation for us, they have locked us out of the terminus so what are we supposed to do and we are stranded?” one passenger posed.
This comes after Kenya Railways announced a temporary suspension of the Sunday Madaraka Express 10 pm passenger train from Mombasa to Nairobi.
In a notice on Sunday, Kenya Railways said the disruption of the train services is due to technical issues.
“We regret to notify members of the public that due to technical issues, the Madaraka Express 10 pm passenger train from Mombasa to Nairobi has been suspended,” Kenya Railways said in a statement.
“Kenya Railways prioritises the safety of our passengers. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Travellers were advised to seek updates through official Kenya Railways communication channels.
The suspension comes amid heightened travel disruptions earlier in the day.
A major traffic snarl-up was witnessed Saturday afternoon along the Mombasa-Diani Road, just metres from the Dongo Kundu bypass, after police mounted roadblocks targeting youths returning from the Diani Summer Tide Festival.
Motorists travelling from Kwale County en route to Nairobi via the SGR were caught in the gridlock as police launched a sweeping security operation to inspect vehicles ferrying groups of young festival-goers.
The operation, which began shortly after midday, led to significant delays, with some travellers missing the scheduled 3:00 PM SGR train to Nairobi.
Eyewitnesses said traffic came to a complete standstill as officers conducted thorough searches on each vehicle, sparking frustration among commuters.
Authorities reportedly acted on intelligence suggesting that some youths aboard the vehicles—many of whom were heard chanting “Wantam”—were planning to travel to Nairobi to join the upcoming Saba Saba commemoration on Monday.
While no arrests have been confirmed, police maintained that the checks were necessary to ensure public safety ahead of the politically sensitive date.
The Diani Summer Tide Festival, an annual beachside event, had drawn hundreds of revellers over the weekend.
There were fears that the group will disrupt transport services while on the way to Nairobi.
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