We are waiting for the rail ‘romance’ again

The entire nation is looking up to the restoration of our railways which have virtually remained dead for more than two decades now.

Past governments in the Fourth Republic have made promises to restore the dying railway sector but nothing meaningful has been achieved.

For a country that is supposed to be a lower middle-income country, the absence of a functioning railway is an antithesis of that image.

Originally, the national railway network consisted of the western line covering a distance of 280 km from Sekondi/Takoradi to Kumasi, while the eastern line stretched from Accra to Kumasi.

Today, apart from few kilometres of rail lines that are currently functioning in Accra and Takoradi, albeit with difficulties, the once buoyant national railway system has lost its importance.

A developed railway network has an advantage over roads; it is faster,and carries larger numbers of passengers and heavy goods.

Overall, the contribution of a well-developed railway sector to the economy can thus not be over-emphasised.

It is for this reason that the government’s revitalisation plan for the country’s railways is of much interest to Ghanaians.

The government says more than $7 billion will be committed to the railway sector over the next four years, and has revealed that investors from around the world have expressed interest in partnering the government to revamp the sector.

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But the restoration effort is not going to come easy in view of the deterioration of existing properties of the Ghana Railway Development Authority.

Currently, almost all properties of the authority, including lands and bungalows, have been taken over by squatters. In Kumasi and Accra, people have put up buildings on railway lands, while other lands have been converted to markets.

The Daily Graphic wants the government to show direction in the midst of the negative developments. In that respect, the government must not countenance on the retrieval of properties taken over by squatters.

If the railway sector is revived, it will have a direct bearing on the local economies; it can open up areas along the railway lines, many of which have lost their economic viability because of inaccessibility.

The Daily Graphic also reminds the Minister of Railways Development, Mr Joe Ghartey, of his pledge to oversee the revival of the sector and, equally, wants the minister to keep on top of his mind, the statement by his own chief – the Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V – that he (the minister) must prepare to resign after two years if there is no sign of the revival of the railways.

We equally want to see the process of restoring life into the railways devoid of politicisation. This is a serious national business that every Ghanaian wants to see to its logical conclusion and for which reason we wish Mr Joe Ghartey and his team Godspeed.