THE construction works on the 97.6 kilometre Tema-Akosombo railway line, which is part of the Tema-Mpakadan railway line under the Ghana-Burkina interconnectivity railways project, is reportedly 70 percent complete.
This was revealed by the Ghana Railway Development Authority during a monitoring and verification visit to the railway construction sites. 93 kilometres of formation just below the subgrade level has been done, 65 kilometres of Skelton tracks laid, and 138 out of the planned 156 structure culverts and bridges completed.
On the Volta Lake, where a 300-metre rail bridge at Ogoli near Juapong in the North Tongu District is currently under construction, some 18 out of 30 pile foundations have been completed and a few others are being worked on.
Additionally, 200,000 steel-reinforced concrete sleepers, which were produced in the West African country, have been cast and many others are underway.
As part of the remainder of the project, some stations will be constructed, including a freight terminal at Tema Harbour to facilitate the transportation of goods inland.
The project, according to Maame Yaa Agyaa Ayensu, the Corporate Affairs Manager of Ghana Railway Development Authority, is 70 percent freight and 30 percent passenger.
Completion date
The project, which began about three years ago, was initially scheduled to be completed by August this year but it was delayed due to some unforeseen challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gupta Asim, the Head of Legal affairs for AFCONS Infrastructure Limited, the company undertaking the construction works of the railway line, said that with the progress of the work so far, the project could be completed as early as March 2021.
Upon completion, the project is largely expected to go a long way to accelerate the country’s socio-economic growth.