Projects undertaken by the Authority under the Railway Master Plan of Ghana
Under the Railway Master Plan (RMP) developed by Team Engineering SPA in 2013, the development of Ghana's railway infrastructure is now planned and available to investors. The RMP envisions the development of 4008km of railway line over the next 33years at an estimated cost of about USS21.50 billion commencing from 2015.
The Authority's prime objective is the development of the network as per the RMP in partnership with the private sector under varied financing models including BOT and PPP arrangement. Details of sequence of development and modalities including main technical characteristics are spelled out in the RMP report. However, what is obvious is the systematic change from the current cape (Narrow) gauge to the new standard gauge, for all newly developed lines of the network.
The designations of the lines on the RMP as per phases of construction will be determined by economic and funding imperatives. The phases include:
- Rehabilitation of existing lines, consisting mainly of the Narrow, or Cape Gauge(ongoing)
- Central Spine Expansion, consisting of the drive to develop Standard Gauge lines on all new rail construction. This covers routes on 'Takoradi - Kumasi, 'Accra - Kumasi, 'Kumasi - Paga
REVIEW OF THE RAILWAY MASTER PLAN OF GHANA (RMP)
The Ghana Railways Development Authority has retained Team Engineering SPA of Italy, the original compiler of the RMP, to undertake a strategic review of the RMP. This has been
necessitated by several considerations since the launch of the current RMP in 2013. For
instance, significant deposits of bauxite has subsequently been discovered in Kibi on the
Eastern Line of Ghana that requires railway connectivity. Also, on the Western Line, a new
Free Zones enclave in Shamaa has since been established that could use essential rail
connectivity. Other considerations include connecting all the ten (10) existing regional
capitals by rail, plus the six (6) newly created regional capitals.
Team Engineering is collating the responses from over 150 invited stakeholders (public and
private),with which to form a basis for the review of the existing RMP. The incidence of
Covid-19 impacted on the convening of the stakeholder conference. Nonetheless, a final
draft RMP has been submitted by the consultant. Formal outdooring expected before the
end of 2020.
SUMMARY
It is envisaged that Ghana would witness significant development in the railway sector from the first quarter of 2019 with the signing of several contracts for the development of several lines on the existing RMP. Railways is awoken in Ghana, and this time around, is here to stay as a revived, rebranded, resourced, and a well maintained sector. Ghana is open for business, and the Ghana Railways Development Authority (GRDA) is extending an invitation to the world business community, to come and be part of this evolving success story.