The Ghana Railway Company Limited has postponed its intended free ride for commuters on the Accra-Tema rail line for Tuesday, January 8.
The exercise will now take place in two weeks; on January 19, 2019.
[contextly_sidebar id=”PNglbQfw8hh9W4BY6XSqMrbAPDjeON67″]The company said the change is due to encroachment on its tracks around Circle, Avenor, and Achimota.
In a press statement copied to citinewsroom.com, the Ghana Railway Company Limited said they observed the encroachment following an inspection exercise with the Railways Minister, Joe Ghartey and the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
“The encroachers ostensibly returned to the lines when GRCL workers went on Christmas break,” the statement explained.
The company said it was working to ensure that the lines are safe before the trains are made to operate on the tracks.
It added that it has “taken insurance cover for all passengers who patronize the trains and also putting in place mechanisms to ensure maximum passenger safety and comfort.”
The Ghana Railway Company Limited had earlier said it would offer the free service for rail commuters from January 8 to 19 as part of its 120th Anniversary Celebration.
As part of the earlier plan, it will charge a flat rate of GH¢5.00 from January 19, 2019, when the free service offer expires.
The rail sector had virtually been non-existent following a series of challenges that forced many trains to be grounded.
But the sector appears to be bouncing back following new mechanisms and injected capital supervised by the sector minister, Joe Ghartey to build a robust sector.
Beyond the Accra-Tema rail route, the Nsawam-Accra route has been a major route for the sector.
The Accra-Nsawam service of the railway company has been halted for more than a year.
The company apologized for its inability to commence the Accra-Nsawam shuttle service before the end of 2018 as planned.
It said the delay was due to works being done on the Kotoku-Nsawam section of the line to strengthen the structural integrity of the track, dealing with encroachment and removal of unauthorized level crossings as reasons behind the delay.
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By: Jonas Nyabor | citinewroom.com | Ghana
