Why Ghana Railways Company is selling decades old tickets

The Ghana Railways Company Limited (GRCL) has been selling decades old tickets to some passengers who have been patronising the revamped train service in Accra.

Last week, Graphic Online took a trip from Accra to Adogon in Nungua and was surprisingly issued with a ticket originally meant for the night train service on the Twifu Kyebi to Obuasi route.

Even though Graphic Online paid GH¢3 as cost of the fare from Accra to Adogon, the ticket had ¢1500 embossed on it. Due to the redenomination of the cedi to Ghana Cedi in 2007, that ¢1500 ticket which was meant for a second class service more than 25years ago is currently worth only Gh¢0.15 pesewas.

The ticket bears the following inscriptions: “Ghana Railway. Not transferable. Available on night of issue only. Night passenger. A2322 Twifu Kyebi to Obuasi. Second class fare ¢1500.

The Twifu Kyebi in the Central Region to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region train service has not been working for more than 25years.

When Graphic Online enquired, sources at the GRCL indicated that the company has many boxes filled with old tickets and stored in a room.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GRCL, Mr Randy Mould confirmed it and said since the company already had the tickets, it was economically prudent to finish using them before printing new tickets.

He also said the old tickets had serial numbers on them for accounting and auditing purposes.

The encounter with the old train ticket brings back fond memories of how the rail service used to be vibrant in Ghana comparable to what pertains in other countries.

For many young people, particularly those below 40 years, stories about the rail service seem like fairy tales as the rail sector is still struggling to recover from its paralyzed operations.

Many rail lines in Ghana have not seen any rolling stocks on them for many decades and some cannot even be traced.