Govt to review US$21.5bn railway master plan

The Ministry of Railway Development has announced plans to review the US$ 21.5 billion railway master plan which was developed in 2013 to construct a new railway network comprising 4,007.6 kilometres across the country within a period of 30 years.

According to the ministry, although the plan was good, it was not ambitious enough because 30 years was too long a time to develop the country’s railway sector.

It also indicated that the master plan did not include some strategic areas, hence its decision to review the plan to make it more comprehensive.

The Minister of Railway Development, Mr Joe Ghartey, was speaking in an interview with the GRAPHIC BUSINESS on the sidelines of a market-sounding event for the development of the Eastern Railway Line and Boankra Inland Port projects in Accra.

“We are reviewing the master plan but the review will not affect it significantly. For example, the Eastern line does not pass through Kyebi which is a major deposit of bauxite. With the President’s plan of establishing an integrated aluminium and bauxite processing industry, we cannot have the rail line not passing through kyebi,” he noted.

“Another example is Shama, which is a major free zones enclave so we are looking at it. We are also looking at going through Awaso to Hinihini rather than going through Kumasi to Hinihini. Kumasi is the second largest city and Hinihini is our largest bauxite deposit but if we go through Kumasi to Hinihini, it will affect lots of properties so it will be better to go through Awase to Hinhini,” he added.

Touching on the Eastern Railway Line, he said the ministry had directed the transaction advisors to accept bids from investors who would be capable of completing by October 2020.

“We have told the transaction advisors that if there is any investor who says it cannot be done, we will kiss and say goodbye because we believe it can be done,” stated

“Without technology in 1898, the railway line was extended from Sekondi to Kumasi within five years.

Today, with technology, it took Djibouti and Ethiopia three years to do 700 kilometres so anybody who tells me that our plan is too ambitious and that we cannot get to the Ashanti Region by 2020, I will tell him that look at what was done in 1898 and what was recently done in Djibouti and Ethiopia,” he explained.

Railway master plan

The railway master plan, which was completed in 2013, proposes a new railway network comprising 4,007.6 kilometres across the country.

The master plan is expected to be completed in six phases, with the first phase being the rehabilitation of existing rail lines.

The second phase will deal with the extension of the central corridor, while the third phase will tackle the extension of the transversal links.

The fourth phase will look at extending the trans-ECOWAS line, the fifth phase will aim at extending the Western line.

The sixth phase is also expected to help extend the Eastern line.

Market sounding

The market-sounding event, which was organised by the Ministry of Railway Development with support from the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance, was to gauge the private sector’s interest in partnering with government to undertake the proposed Boankra Inland Port and the Eastern Railway Line projects.

It was also to assist in determining the market appetite and preferences for specific private sector participation for the proposed projects. The ministry will also expect feedback from potential private investors.

The Eastern Rail Line

The Eastern Railway Line links Accra to Kumasi with a branch line from Achimota to the Tema Port. The total track length is 330 km, and the gauge is 1,067 mm. The existing Eastern Railway Line was built in 1923, using narrow gauge standards, and was designed for an axle load limit of 13 tonnes.

The Eastern Railway Line currently is virtually non operational, and the rail tracks are in a deplorable state. The tracks are worn out, the wooden sleepers are rotten, and the track ballast cushions are thin. Beyond Nsawam, the tracks have mostly been removed or stolen.

Some sections of the railway line have been rendered unusable. In these affected areas, there must be a complete overhaul of the railway formation in order to give it the requisite capacity to hold new tracks and the expected axle load if the existing alignment is to be maintained.

The Right of Way has been encroached by commercial and resettlement activities. Human resettlement and commercial activities along the rail pose a major threat to the safety and efficient running of a rail operation.