Rail rebuilding begins; Accra-Nsawam stretch to bounce back soon

The Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) has begun rehabilitation works on the Accra/Nsawam railway stretch to improve safety on the rail lines.

The rehabilitation project is estimated to cost GH¢15 million and is to improve the transportation situation in the city.

In an interview on Tuesday, the acting Managing Director of the GRCL, Mr John Essel, explained that the rehabilitation of the 40km railway line was focused on replacing all rail tracks in a deplorable state, a situation which had resulted in the closure of the railway lines since July last year following a derailment at Apenkwa, near Accra

He said whereas excavation works were being undertaken at Accra Central due to poor soil capacity, the laying of tracks had already begun at  Avenor, a suburb of Accra.

The GRCL is in charge of the construction, which was contracted to it by the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA).

The project

Giving an insight into the project, Mr Essel explained that it was focused on the Accra-Nsawam railway line but the company would simultaneously undertake rehabilitation works on the Achimota-Tema railway line.

“The priority is to rehabilitate quickly the lines between Accra Central and Achimota through to Nsawam and thereafter rehabilitate some portions on the Achimota-Tema stretch,” he said.

For the Accra Central lines, he explained that the soil capacity at the area was not suitable to begin laying the wooden slabs and subsequently the tracks, hence the need to excavate and treat the soil.

“We have begun stabilising the soil that had low bearing capacity by first grading the surface of the soil,” he explained.

Avenor

When the Daily Graphic got to the site at Avenor, it was observed that the railway lines had been laid from the Avenor Level Crossing area through to the Avenor Park, behind the OA Travel and Tour Station.

About 100 workers were seen on site laying tracks and ensuring that the necessary alignments were achieved.

Encroachers

Mr Essel expressed concern about encroachment and resettlement activities on the right of way and said human resettlement and commercial activities along the rail line posed a major threat to the safety and efficient running of the rail operation.

He, therefore, asked encroachers along the railway lines to move from those areas to allow for the construction.

The Deputy Managing Director of the GRCL, Dr Michael Annyetei Adjei, explained that the company had acquired all the necessary logistics and human resource to complete the project before the end of the year.