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Construction of the proposed single railway line to connect countries in the West African sub region could start soon. This will be after the member countries, including Ghana, have approved the technical details presented to them on August 1 in Accra. The proposed common railway line for the region has received the backing of the ECOWAS and is expected to be 1,178 kilometres long. It is expected to start from Nigeria through to Benin, Togo, Ghana and end up in Cote d' Ivoire. HammcoBTB Engineering International Incorporated, who are the consultants, presented their report on the project to repreesentatives of the member countries. The consultants also took the opportunity to brief the representative on the extent of work done and to propose the way forward. West Africa is currently home to over 300 million people and some 6.1 million kilometres of roads. However, there is no common rail for the region and that makes it difficult for traders to cart goods within. As a result, Mr Syimbo of the HammcoBTB said the proposed rail was needed to help accelerated intra trade. Ghana�s government has already thrown its weight behind the project. The governments of Nigeria, C�te d'Ivoire and Benin are, however, yet to do that. The cost of the project and how it will be funded is also yet to be decided.