After years of anticipation, Ghana’s 97.6 km Tema-Mpakadan standard railway line is finally set to be inaugurated on Friday.
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA), Yaw Owusu, made this known in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show.
According to him, President Nana Akufo-Addo will also commission the newly acquired trains at the Tema Harbour, where the event will be held.
“The seating capacity for the trains is 120 for one and 150 for the other. If we secure additional funding, we will purchase more trains,” he added.
Mr. Owusu also mentioned that private investors will be given the opportunity to operate trains, but they will first be required to go through all necessary processes.
When asked about the cost of one train, he said the trains offer good value for money.
“With an estimated price range of $4 to $5 million per train, the train is modern, well-decorated, and very spacious,” he said.
Regarding ticketing, he mentioned, “We have a program in place and are working on making tickets available online.”
After the commissioning, Mr. Owusu said the trains would undergo a test run for about two months on the Tema-Mpakadan line before the trains officially begin operations.
“This is to ensure that everything runs properly before it hits the road,” he added.
He clarified that the commissioning of the trains is not due to the upcoming elections, which are only a few days away.
“It’s not because of the election that we are hurriedly commissioning it,” he stated.
He also assured that if there are any issues with the trains, there is a one-year warranty, adding that a five-year maintenance agreement has been signed as part of the maintenance plan.
The project, which began in 2018, is part of the Ghana-Burkina Faso Interconnectivity Project, aimed at linking Ghana to its northern neighbor.
The railway line stretches from Tema to Mpakadan, passing through the iconic 300m-long railway bridge over the Volta River.
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