THE reopening of the 97.6km Tema - Mpakadan line in Ghana on October 1 was marred by a technical failure that prevented a passenger service from reaching its destination on time, according to local media reports.
The first phase of a proposed 1000km Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) connecting the port of Tema with eastern Ghana and eventually Burkina Faso, the Tema - Mpakadan line was inaugurated in November 2024 by the then president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
However, operations were suspended just a few months later due to track defects. A repair programme was implemented, overseen by the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA), followed by technical trials.
Local media also report the poor condition of both infrastructure and rolling stock on the 15km Sekondi - Takoradi - Kojokrom line, which opened in 2016 following investment of $US 165m. Passenger services were suspended in March 2020 for conversion from 1067mm to 1435mm gauge, resuming on a sporadic basis later that year before being completely suspended in 2024.
Despite recent policy initiatives, the revival of Ghana’s rail network is making slow progress, with heavy traffic on the road network causing severe congestion, particularly in the capital Accra and Tema.
The Akufo-Addo administration unveiled a plan to build 4000km of new lines across Ghana, costed at $US 30bn, most of which remains unbuilt.
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