Works On Western Railway Lines To Cost $400 million

Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister of Transport has estimated works on the Western railway lines at $400 million. He said Government was banking its hopes on a Chinese loan facility to start the rehabilitation of the railway lines by the end of the year. Alhaji Dauda made this known during workers� durbar at a popular site in Ketan in the Western Region, known as �Bottom Tree�, where pertinent issues affecting railway workers and the railway sector were discussed. The Transport Minister noted that, the economic viability of the railway sector was paramount towards revamping the economy and assured the workers that, Government would not sit aloof for the Ghana Railway Company (GRC) to collapse. He urged the workers to support every effort being put in place by the Government to revitalise the sector. Alhaji Dauda observed that the work attitude of the workers would go a long way to determine the fate of the Company. �There is a popular perception that, public institutions are not well administered because they don�t belong to any individual. But if we change our attitude towards public work and work assiduously towards its sustainability, its positive rippling effects would be felt by all,� he stressed. Alhaji Dauda noted that, the railway sector was the heart of the people in the Region; particularly the people in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and therefore, Government would do its possible best to secure funding for rehabilitation of the railway lines. �The current spate of road crashes in the country could be attributed to the inefficiency of the railway sector because heavy duty trucks that ply our roads often cause the accidents. ��If we rehabilitate the railway lines, people would prefer using trains to cart their goods instead of vehicles since they are affordable and reliable.�