Akufo-Addo approves $230 million to be used to purchase rolling stocks for railway sector

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given approval for the Ministry of Railways Development to use $230 million to purchase rolling stocks in line with the masterplan to revamp the railway sector.

The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to any vehicles that move on a railway, including both powered and unpowered vehicles, such as locomotives, railroad cars, coaches, and wagons.

The Sector Minister, Mr Joe Ghartey who made this known Wednesday morning at a press briefing said the idea was to ensure that by the time development of the rail lines, including new ones and the ones being rehabilitated under the Ghana Railway Masterplan were ready, the rolling stocks would be available to test the lines.

Explaining, the Minister said it takes between 12 to 18 months for rolling stock to be ready after it had been ordered.

“That will be the largest amount of rolling stock that have been bought in a single time since independence… we are buying 30 locomotives, we are buying coaches, we are buying wagons and so on. We haven’t placed the orders yet, because we have consultants who are looking at what kind of cargo, do you need, vans that can take oil and so on.”

“The least time to get a rolling stock is between 18 and 12 months. Rolling stock is not like a car, you can go and buy it. And so we are running out of time… there could be a situation where some of the lines would be finished and we will have no rolling stocks to test them,” Mr Ghartey said.