The Minister for Railways Development, Joe Ghartey, on January 4, 2019 was joined by the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on the invitation of the Managing Director of Ghana Railways Company Limited, Mr John Essel for the test run of the Accra to Tema suburban passenger line to inspect the project before its official launch.
Joe Ghartey had earlier announced that Ghana Railway Company Limited will offer a free ride for commuters on the Accra-Tema rail line on Tuesday, January 8 – but the exercise has been rescheduled.
The exercise according to the sector minster will now take place in two weeks time; on January 19, 2019 due to encroachment on its tracks around Circle, Avenor, and Achimota.
Speaking to Peacefmonline.com, the minister said they observed the encroachment following the inspection exercise.
“The activities of the encroachers threaten the development of our railways sector. It threatens the opportunity that the railways afford us to transform our economy,” he said.
The minister said the Ghana Railways Company Limited will make sure the lines are safe before the trains are made to operate on the tracks.
“It was clear that human activity of encroachers and people who use the railway track illegally as a thorough fare and a place for economic activity, threaten the operations of not just the Accra to Tema Suburban Railway Line but of our entire railway sector.
“We cannot allow the interest of a small minority, who are acting illegally, take precedence over the interest of Ghana. I use this occasion to appeal finally to the people encroaching on railway land to advice them," Mr Joe Ghartey noted.
The Ghana Railway Company Limited had earlier said it would offer the free service for rail commuters from January 8 to 19 as part of its 120th Anniversary Celebration.
As part of the earlier plan, it will charge a flat rate of GH¢5.00 from January 19, 2019, when the free service offer expires.
The rail sector had virtually been non-existent following a series of challenges that forced many trains to be grounded.
But the sector appears to be bouncing back following new mechanisms and injected capital supervised by the sector minister, Joe Ghartey to build a robust sector.
Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Ambrose_wash
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They take your oil and they give you loans and you are happy! You are the worst of the worst.
Gyimiiii leadership. I pity those who follow you, They're just like you, cluelesssss
You are drilling oil on daily basis and this is the kind of train you can afford? Tiives! Nkrusifooo. Woye mbelefo! Forck ups. Some times I wonder if these guys have a brain kraaaa?
This is not important, go and use your paperless to negotiate 80 percent for our oil! That will bring in modern high speed train. This out dated train is an eyesore. It makes me sikk to my stomach. Go and stop the white man from taking the oil for free. If they were paying for it why are we still borrowing from them? Because of your small percentage the oil is taken for free. Fullllishh fulllllllllls!
Is it because it is painted in national colours that you are against or you want to save cost which means it should not be painted at all? My problem with you is that even if it had been painted not in national colours it will still have been painted and no cost will have been saved!! Unless you want as to use the coaches just as it has been fabricated with the rusty condition then cost will be saved.
We need one from Accra to Atebubu
We thank God, we need rail transport from Accra to Tebubu. Food is in anoundance in those areas but no transport.
somebody in gra should be going. who was monitoring and what did he do. as usual explained away and rescheduled. am not too sure this minister will achieve the results he wants with this approach
I have obverse of part of the rail lines which it is said to have been rehabilitated and to be honest, it is so sad to and an eye was to say the lest. If the ministry think the railways system is so expensive and we can not do it as a state, they should just forget it and strategise properly and build a world class railways system for us. for me, I am not impress in anyway with this rehabilitated rail lines. When it must be done, It's must be done well...
Specialization and division of labor leads to an increase in productivity. It is not the duty of the Governor of the central bank to dictate to ADB what it should do. Hasn't ADB got board of governors? Hasn't ADB got a CEO? The role of ADB in the economy should be clearly spelt out. State owned enterprises like ADB should be given a greater market share. Unlike the other banks who convert their profits into US dollars and reduce our forex reserves and GDP by transferring it to their home countries, ADB's pays dividends to the ministry of foreign affairs. A bigger market share for ADB means bigger profits, more dividends for the ministry of finance, a higher GDP and a higher per capita income. The dividends can then be used to extend our railway lines.