The Ministry of Railways Development has started work on the new standard gauge line from Manso to Huni valley, a distance of 78 km under the Western Rail Line in Ghana.
The project was being undertaken under a loan facility of EUR 500 million.However, EUR 68 million has been extended to the contractor as mobilisation money to move to site.
The Western Railway Line from Takoradi to Kumasi was a major route for transportation of minerals and other bulk commodities such as manganese and bauxite.
In order to build capacity for maintenance and sustainability of the sector, the Ministry in collaboration with the Ghana Railway Company, has partnered with the George Grant of Mines and Technology to upgrade the old Railway Training Institute located at Sekondi into a degree awarding institute to provide training in engineering and other ancillary programmes.
The Railway Location Workshop Complex, also situated at Sekondi, has been upgraded and equipped for it to become a one-stop workshop to serve the railway, mining, petroleum and agricultural industries in the Western Region.
The line was earmarked for development on the standard gauge from Accra through Boankra Inland Port to Kumasi. It would also include the development of two branch lines from Achimota to Tema and from Bosuso to Kyebi.
The Tema-Mpakadan line, spanning 97.7 km, was about 90 percent complete while the Mpakadan-Aouga Dougou section, spanning 1,100 km, was going through procurement process under build, operate, transfer model.