President commissions Tema-Mpakadan railway line
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Friday formally commissioned the Tema-Mpakadan Railway Line and diesel a number of unit trains, marking a historic achievement in Ghana’s transportation sector.
The 100-kilometer railway line, the primary commonplace gauge railway within the nation, is about to remodel the nation’s infrastructure and gas financial development.
The new rail line, a part of Ghana’s broader multimodal transport system, which integrates rail, street, and inland water transport, affords a sustainable different to the nation’s closely congested street community.
The line is a part of the 1000 km Ghana-Burkina Faso Interconnectivity Project which can join Ouagadougou to the Port in Tema
It will join Tema Port to the northern areas, enhance the effectivity of port operations and cut back site visitors congestion on key roads.
The line is predicted to decrease transportation prices, enhance commerce logistics, and improve the competitiveness of Ghana’s ports.
At a ceremony on the railhead close to the Tema Harbour, President Akufo-Addo emphasised the importance of the challenge as a cornerstone within the authorities’s dedication to modernizing Ghana’s railway system.
He famous that the federal government’s push to prioritize railway improvement since 2017 had resulted in substantial progress, together with the rehabilitation of the Western Line and the growth of key rail networks.
The President stated the brand new railway line stood as a testomony to Ghana’s forward-looking management and dedication to fostering sustainable improvement.
He stated the infrastructure was a key a part of our imaginative and prescient to scale back street site visitors congestion, enhance the protection of our transport system, and improve regional integration.
“Railways are acknowledged globally as the most efficient mode for transporting bulk goods and large numbers of people. They are a linchpin for reducing the cost of doing business and fostering regional integration,” he acknowledged.
The Tema-Mpakadan rail line, which started building in 2018, was funded by a $447 million credit score facility from the India Exim Bank and executed by Afcons Infrastructure Limited.
The challenge, overseen by the Italian engineering agency Team Engineering, contains intensive infrastructure, equivalent to the development of tracks, bridges, stations, and ancillary services.
It is predicted to generate vital direct and oblique employment alternatives, benefiting native communities alongside the route.
The railway may also bolster agricultural and commerce actions, facilitating the graceful motion of products, together with gas, cement, and agricultural produce, throughout the nation and to neighboring landlocked nations.
President Akufo-Addo prolonged his gratitude to the Indian authorities and the folks of India for his or her help in realizing the challenge and praised the cooperation of native communities.
He urged all Ghanaians to take pleasure in and shield the railway line for future generations for it to carry long-term advantages to companies, commuters, and communities alike.
Mr. Jonh-Peter Amewu, Minister for Railway Development, famous that the Tema-Mpakadan Railway Line was a vital element of Ghana’s long-term imaginative and prescient for a contemporary, environment friendly, and interconnected transport community.
With additional expansions deliberate below the nation’s revised 2020 Railway Master Plan, he stated the federal government aimed to unlock the complete potential of the nation’s economic system by continued funding in infrastructure.
Source: GNA
