The exploitation and utilization of river sand along the SGR Phase II A Project in Kenya was rare. This work aims to explore the effect of the machine-made sand rate on the compressive strength, workability, and impermeability of sleeper concrete. The research demonstrated that the 28d compressive strength (46.30 MPa) of sleeper concrete (KD-45) were the optimal when the machine-made sand rate in the sleeper concrete was 45%. These results indicated that the compactness of the KD-45 was improved, leading to an increase in compressive strength. The slump (175 mm) and extensibility (455 mm) of the sleeper concrete KD-45 were the highest as the machine-made sand rate was 45% in the sleeper concrete. This result proved that the workability and flowability of KD-45 pre mixed sleeper concrete were excellent. The electrical flux (840 °C) of KD-45 was lowest when the machine-made sand rate in the sleeper concrete was 45%. This phenomenon demonstrated that the ability of sleeper concrete KD-45 to resist chloride ion penetration was higher compared to other sleeper concrete. These properties meet the requirements of C40 sleeper concrete. Therefore, this work presents novel insight on the performance improvement of sleeper concrete based on the machine-made sand rate.