After 15 months of suspending train services on the Accra-Tema railway line, the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) is set to reopen operations on January 2, 2019.
Prior to reopening of the lines, GRCL will undertake a ten day test run from December 22 to December 31, 2018.
In an interview with Goldstreet Business, the deputy managing director of GRCL, Dr. Michael Adjei Anyetei stated that the test run will help the company ascertain the readiness for full operations, which would resume at the beginning of next year.
Dr. Anyetei noted that after a successful test run, GCRL will run the shuttle free for users for a period of two weeks starting from January 2, 2019, after which payment for services would begin.
The two main trains to operate the Accra-Tema shuttle are Train No. S112 and No. S117
Suspension
Suspension of train services was due the derailment that happened at the Tesano section of the line, which necessitated the call for an immediate suspension, since the company could not guarantee the safety of trains and passengers who used the track.
Coaches
The two coaches which are set to start operating in January form part of the coaches that have been undergoing repair works under the auspices of the Ministry of Railway Development.
The on-going repairs of other rail lines would also greatly improve the country’s transportation system.
The development agenda
Under the 2020 transformation agenda, it is expected that there will be construction of a 339-kilometre railway line under the Western corridor project linking Takoradi and Kumasi, as well as 218 kilometres of railway line under the Eastern corridor project.It is anticipated that by the end of 2020, construction and renovation of existing facilities would have been at an advanced enough stage to commission them.
By Joshua W. Amlanu
