By Kofi AHOVI
The Accra-Tema commuter rail coaches have begun operations again after its activities on the rail line were interrupted, following a heavy rain which washed away a portion of the rail tracks at Tetteh Quarshie Roundabout, near Shangrila Hotel, a fortnight ago, an official of the Ministry of Transport has said.
The operations of the coaches were halted to enable engineers to repair the affected rail tracks at Tetteh Quarshie Roundabout and other places where the rain caused havoc.
Kweku Sersah-Johnson, Public Affairs Director of the Ministry of Transport, speaking to BusinessWeek, stated that during the period, engineers also took advantage of the shutdown to construct a platform at Nungua, Adegonu, Shancrhu and Dzowulu to enable passengers to board the trains easily.
According to him, the absence of the platform inhibited passengers from boarding the coaches and it therefore negatively affecting the turnover of the company.
“We have finished all the repair works and the construction of the platforms to enable passengers to board the coaches without any difficulties,” he noted.
Johnson added that the rail company expects to see about 4,800 or more passengers commute daily on the Accra –Tema Railway Project.
The new rail line, which was constructed by Amandi Construction Limited, focuses on the route between Asoprochona and Tema.
The new railway line is expected to reduce the long hours commuters spend in queues and improve Ghana's overall rail transport system.
As part of the upgrade, the Ghana government imported two new Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) each, with a capacity of 660 passengers.
A diesel multiple unit consists of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines.
Ghana's Deputy Transport Minister, Dzifa Attivor, said earlier that the revamped infrastructure will encourage workers to opt for the train instead of vehicles, adding that the upgrading of the country's rail system is also likely to attract more investments.
The government has also facilitated a programme for 22 railway men, comprising engineers and pilots, to China to undertake training in the most effective way of handling and ensuring periodical maintenance and services of the DMUs.
Sersah-Johnson assured that the government is determined to arrest the decline of the country’s railway system and improve upon its operations to help regain its status as a beacon of hope and centre of aspiration for a Better Ghana.
An effective rail transport system, according to the government, will in no small measure mark the beginning of Ghana‘s growth and sustainable development, mindful of the important role of the sector in the accelerated transformation of the living standards of the people.
The President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, stated this when he jointly commissioned the extension of the rail line from Asoprochona to Tema and the new Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) passenger trains and performed the commissioning for the beginning of works on the continuation of the line to stretch from the Tema Harbour to Japan Motors in Community One, at a ceremony in Tema.
President Mills said Ghanaians cannot underestimate the significant contribution of the rail transport sector to the economy.
It is in the light of this, he said, that his administration as part of infrastructure expansion programme, is acting in harmony to give new life to the rail transport system.
The occasion follows the President’s visit to China, where he brokered several agreements, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at rehabilitating, modernising and extending the rail network throughout the country.
President Mills, however, noted that without any equivocation, government will not tolerate any lackadaisical maintenance culture, assuring that he will embark on his on-going surprise visits to ensure that the taxpayers’ money is not abused in order to sustain the laudable initiatives.
The Accra-Tema commuter rail coaches have begun operations again after its activities on the rail line were interrupted, following a heavy rain which washed away a portion of the rail tracks at Tetteh Quarshie Roundabout, near Shangrila Hotel, a fortnight ago, an official of the Ministry of Transport has said.
The operations of the coaches were halted to enable engineers to repair the affected rail tracks at Tetteh Quarshie Roundabout and other places where the rain caused havoc.
Kweku Sersah-Johnson, Public Affairs Director of the Ministry of Transport, speaking to BusinessWeek, stated that during the period, engineers also took advantage of the shutdown to construct a platform at Nungua, Adegonu, Shancrhu and Dzowulu to enable passengers to board the trains easily.
According to him, the absence of the platform inhibited passengers from boarding the coaches and it therefore negatively affecting the turnover of the company.
“We have finished all the repair works and the construction of the platforms to enable passengers to board the coaches without any difficulties,” he noted.
Johnson added that the rail company expects to see about 4,800 or more passengers commute daily on the Accra –Tema Railway Project.
The new rail line, which was constructed by Amandi Construction Limited, focuses on the route between Asoprochona and Tema.
The new railway line is expected to reduce the long hours commuters spend in queues and improve Ghana's overall rail transport system.
As part of the upgrade, the Ghana government imported two new Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) each, with a capacity of 660 passengers.
A diesel multiple unit consists of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines.
Ghana's Deputy Transport Minister, Dzifa Attivor, said earlier that the revamped infrastructure will encourage workers to opt for the train instead of vehicles, adding that the upgrading of the country's rail system is also likely to attract more investments.
The government has also facilitated a programme for 22 railway men, comprising engineers and pilots, to China to undertake training in the most effective way of handling and ensuring periodical maintenance and services of the DMUs.
Sersah-Johnson assured that the government is determined to arrest the decline of the country’s railway system and improve upon its operations to help regain its status as a beacon of hope and centre of aspiration for a Better Ghana.
An effective rail transport system, according to the government, will in no small measure mark the beginning of Ghana‘s growth and sustainable development, mindful of the important role of the sector in the accelerated transformation of the living standards of the people.
The President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, stated this when he jointly commissioned the extension of the rail line from Asoprochona to Tema and the new Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) passenger trains and performed the commissioning for the beginning of works on the continuation of the line to stretch from the Tema Harbour to Japan Motors in Community One, at a ceremony in Tema.
President Mills said Ghanaians cannot underestimate the significant contribution of the rail transport sector to the economy.
It is in the light of this, he said, that his administration as part of infrastructure expansion programme, is acting in harmony to give new life to the rail transport system.
The occasion follows the President’s visit to China, where he brokered several agreements, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at rehabilitating, modernising and extending the rail network throughout the country.
President Mills, however, noted that without any equivocation, government will not tolerate any lackadaisical maintenance culture, assuring that he will embark on his on-going surprise visits to ensure that the taxpayers’ money is not abused in order to sustain the laudable initiatives.
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