Operations have resumed on the Kojokrom-Sekondi-Takoradi rail line in Ghana’s Western corridor after extensive repairs by the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) and the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA).
The service was halted in November 2023 due to technical and financial challenges, leaving Diesel Multiple Unit trains grounded for over two years.
Ghana Railway Company Ltd’s financial distress had made it impossible to fund and maintain the commuter service, causing chronic gridlock on the Kojokrom-Takoradi road. A timely government response is bringing reliable and affordable transport back to commuters in the Western Region’s capital.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark the reactivation of service on the 15-kilometer Kojokrom-Sekondi-Takoradi suburban rail line, the Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, reiterated that “the goal of the President is to improve transportation for our people.”
He said the reactivation of the passenger service attests to President Mahama’s vision of revamping the country’s rail sector.
“You cannot have a well-functioning economy when the transport sector is not functioning. That is why the President is very committed to revamping the rail sector … and that is why the Kojokrom-Sekondi-Takoradi service is relaunched today,” he added.
While commending the government for reviving the suburban rail service, the Omanhene of the Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, called for more investment to complete the Western rail line reconstruction project. He argued that “without the railways, the Big Push will be meaningless.”
Adding his voice to the call, Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson said: “The expectations of the people of the Western Region are for a complete overhaul of the railway system, so that we can get it back working—and working well—for the benefit of the people.”
The priority of the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) and the Ghana Railway Company Limited is resuming cargo freight along the western rail line that connects the Port of Takoradi to mining sites.
This approach, according to the Chief Executive of the Ghana Railway Development Authority, Dr. Frederick Appoh, is the key to sustaining both passenger services and the entire railway sector.
“If we can sustain the freight service to complement the passenger service, we can create the ecosystem that will sustain the entire rail sector, without running cap in hand to the Finance Minister for a bailout,” he added.
The revival has sparked hope among schoolchildren, traders, and workers who depend on rail transport. To further ease travel, GRDA is deploying buses at the Takoradi terminal to shuttle passengers to the Central Business District upon arrival.
By Abraham Mensah
