The government’s new modern trains currently undergoing practical testing on railway tracks in the Asuogyaman District have been involved in an accident.
Some users on X shared images of the incident, showing the extent of damage.
“Information coming in indicates that the new train for the Tema-Mpakadan railway bound has just been involved in an accident while on a test drive somewhere in the Asuogyaman District.
Stay tuned for more updates soon.” pic.twitter.com/3cY6yZFZ50— F r a n c i s ⭕️🇺🇸🇬🇭 (@FAgbodeka) April 18, 2024
In a confirmation statement on Thursday, moments after the images circulated on social media, the Ministry of Railways Development said, the disaster happened at 12:10 pm the same day, when the train encountered a stationary vehicle positioned directly across the rail track as it approached the curve.
“Despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before colliding with the vehicle,” the statement said.
No human casualties were recorded, according to the statement. However, the driver’s cab section of the train was hit with minor damages.
“The incident has been promptly reported to the Police and investigations are currently underway to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the Ministry’s statement stated further.
The trains set for later commissioning in June are earmarked to run the new Tema-Mpakadan standard-gauge railway line, transporting passengers from Mpakadan through Kpong, Juapong, and Doryumu to the Tema port.
On Tuesday, Railways Development Minister, John Peter Amewu shared updates on its installation on railway tracks, saying relevant operational tests would be conducted soon after the engineers start navigating the train along the full length of the 100k railway line.
