Source: newsthemegh.com
The first twelve of the modern bullet trains built in Poland for Ghanaian rail travel have pulled into the Tema Port.
This will be utilized on the upcoming Tema-Mpakadan Standard-Gauge Railway Line, and it is a momentous occasion for Ghana’s transportation industry.
Along Ghana’s Eastern Corridor, the 97-kilometer standard-gauge Tema-Mpakadan Railway Line would make it easier to carry people and products. It is a component of a bigger plan to connect Ouagadougou to the port in Tema as part of a 1000-kilometer Ghana-Burkina Faso interconnectivity project.
The railway line is nearly finished and should be finished this year.
Passengers will be transported by train from Mpakadan to the Tema Port via Kpong, Juapong, and Doryumu. Passengers can then change to a narrow-gauge train to travel into the center of Accra from that point on.
Yaw Owusu, the CEO of the Ghana Railways growth Authority, emphasized the significance of a dynamic and effective railway infrastructure for industrialization and growth during the handover ceremony in Poland.
He thanked the Polish manufacturer, PESA, for their assistance and emphasized the advantages of Ghana and PESA having a long-term partnership for future business and upkeep.
The trains are Ghana’s first standard-gauge rolling stock, built to run smoothly on both long- and regional-distance routes.
When maintained consistently and persistently, they are designed to survive for more than 30 years. Ghana and PESA have inked a five-year contract, with the intention of extending it to ten years.
Ghana Railways and PESA have a complete framework deal that includes the purchase of these contemporary trains, with the possibility to order an additional 10 vehicles down the road.
It is anticipated that the deployment of these trains will enhance passenger satisfaction, efficiency, and connection while also bolstering the overall economic growth supported by the railway network.
Ghana’s railway industry is about to embark on a new age of improved connectivity and economic growth with the arrival of these contemporary trains. The government’s objective of industrialization is in line with its ambition to building a 4000 km nationwide railway network.
In June 2024, the President will officially commission the trains once they have undergone system testing and trial runs.
Following the arrival of the state-of-the-art trains in the nation, a delegation of engineers from PESA SA (Poland), the train manufacturer and supplier of diesel multiple units (DMUs), paid Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport, a courtesy call.
Their visit was related to the preparation of these trains for public service through assembly, testing, and operational readiness.
In response to the minister’s request that they move quickly to ensure that testing begins by the end of April 2024, at the latest, promises were given to ensure that tasks necessary to begin operationalization are completed on time.