Friday, March 3, 2017

Gov’t pledges to complete Western railway lines



Government has pledged to complete the Sekondi to Takoradi via Kojokrom and Kojokrom to Tarkwa through Nsuta sections of the Western railway line to facilitate the haulage of manganese, bauxite, cocoa and other bulk commodities.
 
The wertern railway corridor, when completed, will help improve the operational performance and revenue of Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) and enable the company wean itself from central government support. It will also enhance the performance and competitiveness of the manganese mine located on the corridor.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, presenting the 2017 Budget Statement of government to the 275-member Parliamnet, said: “Government will commence work on the Western Rail Line from Takoradi and terminates at Kumasi having two branch lines namely; Dunkwa to Awaso and Kojokrom to Sekondi, covering a distance of 340km. The Feasibility Studies and Front End Engineering Design (FEED) have already been done on the Line.”

Mr. Ofori-Atta explained that government will initiate discussions to secure funding for other major projects, such as, the Central Spine which stretches from Kumasi to Paga covering a distance of 700km. The corridor is a greenfield and will be developed in sections.

The sections,he said, are Kumasi to Buipe and Buipe to Paga. “A pre-feasibility study was undertaken on the line, and in 2017, we plan to undertake full feasibility studies to enable the Railway Ministry to invite developers and source funding for the development.

The Eastern Railway Line on the other hand, will cover a distance of 330km and starts from Accra to Kumasi--with a branch line from Achimota to Tema. When the line becomes operational, it will decongest the port and facilitate the movement of cargo and passengers to Kumasi and its environs.

He noted that: “The Central Railway Line, as part of the grand railway plan, will cover a distance of 200km and spans from Kotoku on the Eastern Line to Huni Valley on the Western Line. It will have a branch line from Achiase to Kade and we plan to undertake feasibility study on the line and extend it to Kibi. The Western line and the Eastern line—Tema, Akosombo and the Central Spine is expected to cost about US$21 billion.

Government believes that rail will be a major catalyst to drive the growth that we envisage in the coming years. Rail transportation provides safer, cheaper and faster way of moving goods and people to facilitate trade and support economic activity. Our vision is to open up the country and provide new opportunities to our people to do business and trade among themselves.”

Approximately 133.6 kilometres (km) representing 14.1% of the entire rail network of 947 kilometres that is currently operational is faced with an obsolete network and poor track infrastructure, resulting in the closure of greater part of the Western and Eastern lines and the entire Central line -- leading to a high incidence of derailments that lead to loss of operational hours and damage to rolling stock.

Available data show that the rail sector commanded an over-70% market share of freight and passenger transport in the country during colonial days until the 1970s, and carried over 2 million tonnes of freight and 8 million passengers annually in the 1960s and 1970s.

However, due to inadequate funding for maintenance, the rail network started to deteriorate; leading to the diversion of freight traffic onto roads, exacerbating deterioration of the roads.

The Ghana Chamber of Mines, in recent times, has aggressively been advocating the rehabilitation of the railway system, notably the Western rail lines. The officials observed that benefits to the country would be enormous -- given its services will extend to passenger travel and other sectors of the economy.

“On two occasions the Ghana Manganese Company has offered to directly invest in the rail infrastructure; but until now the authorities are yet to accept the company’s offer,” the Chamber said.

As a result, the Ghana Bauxite Company has completely stopped hauling the commodity by rail and solely transports its ore by the less cost-effective road mode, while Ghana Manganese Company uses the railway on a reduced operational level. This has adversely impacted realisation of these companies’ strategic objectives.  

President Mahama in his 2012 state-of-the-nation address pledged a massive revival of the defunct rail system.

“There will be significant improvement in our railway network in the next three years. Government believes that the private sector has a role to play in the ongoing modernisation of the rail sector.  

“Examples are rehabilitation of the Accra to Tema railway network, Kumasi to Ejisu railway line, Accra-Nsawam railway line, and Takoradi to Kojokrom railway network,” he said.   

In 2010 a contract was signed to construct a railway line from Paga (on the border with Burkina Faso) to Kumasi plus a branch from Tamale to Yendi, but nothing realistic appears to be ongoing. 

Fast Facts
Total route length, Accra to Paga, 947km (593 miles)
Track length of 1,300km (807 miles)
Track gauge of 1.067 metres (3ft.6ins) with a maximum axle load of 16 tonnes
Except for the 30-km Takoradi-Manso section, which is double-track, the network is a single-track system of 1067 mm (3' 6") gauge (cape or narrow gauge)
Railway Network is divided into 3 main lines with branch lines. The main lines are:
Western Line: 340 km                 
Central Line: 240 km
Eastern Line: 330 km

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