Ghana Railway Corporation operates the railways of Ghana. The Ghana Railway Company Limited is a public-sector body with responsibility for the efficient management of the national rail system so as to enhance the smooth movement of goods and passengers.[1]
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Operations began in 1898 under the Gold Coast Civil Service with headquarters in Sekondi. The headquarters were transferred to Takoradi after the building of Takoradi Harbour, and railways and ports were jointly administered as the Ghana Railway & Ports Authority. In 1976, SMCD 95 separated the railway from ports as the Ghana Railway Corporation. The company enjoyed the status of a public corporation until 19 March 2001, when it became a limited liability company.[1]
The original 304-kilometre (189 mi) Eastern Railway was built in 1923 by the British for the purpose of hauling minerals and cocoa. Construction of the Ghana Railways started before there were any port facilities, and locomotives and other equipment had to be lightered over the beach.[2]
In 2010, a contract was signed to construct a railway from Paga (on the border with Burkina Faso) to Kumasi; plus a branch from Tamale to Yendi.[3]
The system is single-track with the exception of about 30 km (19 mi) of double track between Takoradi and Manso on the Western Line.
The latest proposals in 2006 for upgrade and expansion include conversion of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) (narrow gauge) to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge).[8]
In 2007 a consortium led by Dubai-based Kampac Oil Co signed a US$1.6 billion concession to develop the 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) (Cape gauge) Western Railway.[9] Over five years a 500-kilometre (310 mi) line is to be constructed from Awaso to Hamile near the border with Burkina Faso. The government awarded a US$1.4 billion concession for the Eastern Railway to Peatrack earlier in the year.[10]
In October 2010 the DMUs were launched.[17] The line was commissioned in October 2010; in December 2010, work began on an extension to Tema harbour.[18]
A plant to manufacture concrete sleepers is to be set up in 2008 at the strategic railway junction at Huni Valley.[19][20]
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