We procured 2 trains, not 12 – Railway Development Authority

The Ghana Railway Development Authority has clarified that they ordered two contemporary diesel-powered trains from Poland.

This comes after media reports suggested that the government has procured 12 trains for the country’s railway transportation system.

A Polish website “RK”, which first published the report said the 12 contemporary diesel-powered trains were intended for operation on both regional and long-distance lines of Ghana Railways.

It added that the framework contract with the Ghanaian Railways covers 12 diesel multiple units, with 10 vehicles being an option for the ordering party.

On Friday, January 19, 2024, Deputy Information Minister, Fatimatu Abubakar, shared images of the trains on her social media platform, verifying the news.

Clarifying, Mr Yaw Owusu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Railway Development Authority said the trains are passenger coaches which will be tested on the Tema-Mpakadan Railway line.

“For now, we are trying to test a commission at the Tema-Mpakadan line. It’s about 98 percent, Tema port all the way to Mpakadan. To be able to commission and test the line, we have ordered two trains from Poland and not 12 trains.

“The first one will be shipped somewhere in the middle of February, and expect it to be here realistically in March. The 2nd one will be shipped in May, and it will arrive in August, the summertime,” Mr Owusu said.