South African team in Ghana to fast track Accra-Nsawam rail project

A team of 13 young engineers from Transnet of South Africa is in the country to assist the Ghana Railway Company Ltd (GRCL) to speed up work on the Accra-Nsawam railway rehabilitation project.

The team, which is made up of nine engineers, three supervisors and a project manager.

Is in the country to build the capacity of the Ghanaian technicians and engineers to effectively and efficiently execute the job.

They will also work with their Ghanaian counterparts to resolve the challenges confronting the railway sector.

Future of railway

The leader of the team, Mr Livhu Netshihavulu, told the Daily Graphic that the future of the railway sector in the country was bright.

He explained that the engineers would concentrate on on-the-job training, while Transnet of South Africa would provide technical support for the Ghanaian team even after the training session.

Timeline

Mr Netshihavulu was confident that the Accra-Nsawam railway line would be back on track before the end of the year.

He commended the GRCL for engaging a competent team of 300 workers locally to work on the project so that it could meet the timeline.

Touching on safety and security of the tracks, Mr Netshihavulu said Transnet and the GRCL would continue with routine maintenance to guarantee safety on the tracks.

He said it was their expectation that the government would continue to implement the right policies for the redevelopment of the railway sector.

Public education

The Managing Director of the GRCL, Mr John Essel, said the company would embark on a campaign to educate the public, especially those living along the railway line, on the services and safety measures.

He said there were coaches available to run the Accra-Nsawam line, while the GRCL had engaged artisans at the Suame Magazine in the Ashanti Region to help build more coaches.