Temporary free train rides begin on Accra-Tema railway [Photos]

Months after a shutdown of the Accra to Tema railway line, operations have commenced today, Tuesday, with the train embarking on its first test run.

The 6 carriage train which has the capacity to carry 600 passengers will for the next 2 weeks offer free rides to passengers.

Speaking to Citi News, Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Railway Company Limited, Dr. Michael Adjei Anyatei assured passengers of safer rides.

“The resumption of the train to commute people from Accra to Tema is a bold step in decongesting the city by providing safer and cheaper means for people who come in and out of the city. As you know, the city has a resident population of about 1.9 million but during the day the number goes to about 4 million.”

He said the number goes up largely because Accra is the hub of business and a lot of companies have their head offices in Accra “so everybody moves to the city centre early in the morning and leave by evening.”

“So providing a better alternative means of coming into the city it will be a better way of decongesting the roads and making the roads much safer,” he added.

The Railway Company postponed the free rides early on in January 2019 to take care of some repair works on the tracks.

The company also said the postponement was due to the activities of squatters along the tracks.

See the schedule for the new Accra-Tema Train Service
The Ministry of Railways Development in collaboration with the Ghana Railway Company Limited has announced the schedule for the Accra-Tema Train Service which was launched Tuesday, January 29 in Accra.

The shuttle has a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train which seats 360 persons with ample room for tens more to stand at a cost of 5GHC per passenger.

It is powered by onboard diesel engines and requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages.

According to the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, the service will run for free over a two-week period before it starts running commercially.

According to him, the ‘free run’ is to get the buy-in of residents into the Accra-Tema Train Service, which he described as a cheaper alternative to commercial buses in the capital.

The train will depart the Community 1 Station at 6:00 am daily and make stops at the Tema Fishing Harbour, Tema Harbour Station, Asoprochana Station, Nungua Barrier (Mile 11), Addogonno (Mile 9), Batchona Station, Airport, Abelenkpe, Achimota Station, Odaw Station (Circle) before docking at the Accra Central Railway Station at 7:30 am.

Later in the day at 5.40pm, it will depart the Accra Central Railway Station for Tema. It will make stops at Odaw Station (Circle), Achimota Station, Batchona Station, Asoprochana Station, Tema before stopping at the Community 1 Station at 7:22 pm.

Accra – Tema Train No. S112