Minister for Railways Development, John Peter Amewu says the first unit of two modern trains procured from Poland earlier in January has successfully been installed on railway tracks.
“Following this progress, electrical and mechanical tests would be carried out to pave the way for the practical testing of the trains on the tracks, signaling and other relevant operational tests would be conducted soon after the engineers start navigating the train along the full length of the 100k railway line.,” he said in an update on Facebook.
The trains set for later commissioning in June will run the new Tema-Mpakadan standard-gauge railway line, transporting passengers from Mpakadan through Kpong, Juapong, and Doryumu all the way to the Tema port.
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Diesel-powered, the trains were assembled by Polish manufacturing firm, PESA, who in addition to the contract with Ghana’s government, would be responsible for maintenance issues.
In February, when the chief executive of the Ghana Railway Development Authority, was in Poland for the handing-over ceremony, he announced that the government intends to purchase another batch of 10 trains in August.
Since its introduction, the government has extolled the project as proof of rejuvenating Ghana’s railway sector, despite previous abandoned efforts for a sky train project.