Railways Authority Sets The Records Straight; Only Two Modern Trains Has Been Procured, Not 12

The Ghana Railway Development Authority has clarified that it has only procured two contemporary diesel-powered trains from Poland to augment the railway transport system and not 12 as reported in the media.

The clarification comes after media reports indicated that government through the Authority had procured some 12 trains from Europe to operate both regional and long-distance lines in Ghana.

Chief Executive Officer of the Railway Development Authority, Yaw Owusu said the two trains, which are also passenger coaches, will undergo testing on the Tema-Mpakadan Railway line once they arrive.

“For now, we are trying to test a commission at the Tema-Mpakadan line. It’s about 98 percent, Tema port all the way to Mpakadan. To be able to commission and test the line, we have ordered two trains from Poland and not 12 trains,” Yaw Owusu clarified as he told Accra-based Citi FM.

“The first one will be shipped somewhere in the middle of February, and expect it to be here realistically in March 2024. The second one will be shipped in May, and it will arrive in August, the summertime,” he added.

He however added that the Tema-Mpakadan Railway was about 98% complete while commissioning is set for May 2024.