The reopening of the Tema-Mpakadan line was marred by a technical malfunction.
The reopening of Ghana’s 97.6-kilometre Tema-Mpakadan line on October 1 was marred by a technical glitch that prevented the passenger service from reaching its destination on time, according to local media reports.
The first phase of the proposed 1,000 km standard gauge railway (SGR) linking the port of Tema to eastern Ghana and eventually Burkina Faso, the Tema-Mbakadan line was inaugurated in November 2024 by the then President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
However, operations were suspended after only a few months due to track defects. A repair program was undertaken, under the supervision of the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA), followed by technical trials.
Local media also reported on the poor condition of infrastructure and rolling stock on the 15-kilometre Sekondi-Takoradi-Kojokrom line, which was opened in 2016 after a US$165 million investment. Passenger services were suspended in March 2020 to convert from 1,067 mm to 1,435 mm gauge, and resumed on an intermittent basis later that year before being completely suspended in 2024.
Despite recent policy initiatives, the revival of Ghana’s railway network is making slow progress, with heavy traffic on the road network causing severe congestion, especially in the capital, Accra, and Tema.
The Akufo-Addo administration has unveiled a plan to build 4,000 km of new lines across Ghana, at a cost of US$30 billion, most of which remain unbuilt.
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