|
Plans underway
to modernise railway system – Hammah
Accra, Aug. 25, Ghanadot/GNA
– Mr Mike Hammah, Minister for Transport on Tuesday said
plans were underway to modernise the railway system to
enhance operations of the sector.
He said under the plans, a modern signal and
telecommunication system would be installed and the existing
gauge converted from 1067 millimetres to 1435 millimetres
with an increase speed from 56 kilometres per hour to 160
kilometres per hour.
Speaking at the Meet-The-Press series in Accra to highlight
the projections and challenges of the Ministry, Mr Hammah
said the axle load would also be increased from 16 tonnes on
the Western Line and 14 tonnes on Eastern and Central Lines
to 25 tonnes.
He said in the medium to long term, there would be
feasibility study for the new sub-urban rail service from
Accra to Kasoa, Winneba, Madina and its environs as well as
expansion of rail lines to the North and the proposed ECOWAS
line.
Others are, rehabilitation works on the main lines, detailed
designs and construction of the Tema-Akosombo multimodal
freight services would also be undertaken.
Mr Hammah announced that government had provided two million
dollars for intervention on the Western Line to make it
operational as part of the immediate to short term plans.
He said the Accra-Tema Shuttle Service would be completed
and locomotives and rolling stock rehabilitated to ease the
traffic congestion in the metropolis.
Mr Hammah said poor track infrastructure, obsolete signal
and telecommunication system; inadequate and aged rolling
stock, high incidence of derailment; and high and ageing
labour were challenges facing Ghana’s railway sector.
Others, he said, included government monthly support for
payment of salary, encroachment of railway lands and
uncompleted sub-urban railway lines.
Mr Hammah said with the exception of partial operations on
the Western Line and the sub-urban rail services, the other
lines in the Eastern and Central were not operational and
stressed the need to rehabilitate them to ensure effective
and smooth operations.
He said the country’s railway network of 947 kilometres,
which were mostly single track rail of 1.067 metres (3.6”)
gauge were located in the Southern part of the country.
Mr Hammah said with the exception of the 30-kilometre
Takoradi-Manso section, which was double track, the rest of
the network were distributed on a single track system and
the need for the expansion of the sub-urban railway systems
to areas like Dansoman, La, Teshie, Nungua and Dodowa.
GNA
|
