Railways Development Minister, John Peter Amewu, has criticized former President John Mahama for his comments on the recent train accident involving Ghana’s new railway line.
The accident occurred during a test run when the train collided with a truck parked on the rail line at Abortia in the Volta Region.
Abel Dzidotor, the driver of the truck, has been sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to three charges, including inconsiderate driving and causing unlawful damage.
Additionally, four more persons have been picked up by the police for their alleged roles in the accident.
In response to Mahama’s comments on social media questioning the lack of track inspection before the test run, Minister Amewu disagreed, stating, “I totally disagree with his excellency John Dramani Mahama. I don’t blame him, this is not his field.”
He explained that the test run was conducted by 16 engineers brought from Poland, and it was the 304th test they had conducted worldwide that year.
Amewu further clarified that the inspection and test run were handled by the Polish engineers as part of the contract. He emphasized that an inspection was done before the test run, and the rail track was cleared 30 minutes before the train took off.
Nonetheless, he criticized Mahama for making uninformed comments and suggested that Mahama could have sought clarity before making his remarks.
Mr Amewu stated, “His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, this is below the belt. I am sorry, I give you all the respect but I expect you to find out first. You’re not even an engineer.”
Regarding ownership of the train and responsibility for the tracks, Amewu explained that Ghana had not taken full ownership of the train at the time of the test run.
He clarified that repairs would not be borne by Ghana, and the inspection and test run were not conducted by the Ghana government.
Responding to questions about possible sabotage, Amewu said he could not justify such claims but emphasized that parking a vehicle along the rail track was uncultured and unacceptable.
He also addressed Mahama’s question about how long the vehicle had been on the track, stating that it was difficult to determine under the circumstances.