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
No comments:
Post a Comment