The commercial operation of the Tema-Mpakadan railway line is set to begin today, Wednesday, October 1.

This was announced by Dr Frederick Appoh, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA), during a working tour of the Authority by Deputy Minister of Transport Dorcas Affo-Toffey on Monday, September 29.

”We completed the operationalisation test-run from Tema to Mpakadan about two weeks ago, and we can confidently say we are ready to reset the railways sector with this commercialisation,” Dr Appoh disclosed.

Dr Appoh revealed that the route was officially opened under the erstwhile government; however, around March 202,5, when the Mahama-led administration took over, the lines had developed some defects. But GRDA stepped in, fixed defects with the contractor, cleared encroachment issues, and says the line is now back on track.

“The trains are ready and capable of running the lines. At the moment, we’re going to run the trains on 1 October. It is exciting to disclose that we are going to start the first phase of revenue service from October 1, 2025,” he said.

Madam Affo Toffey, speaking during her visit, reiterated the government’s commitment to the railways sector.

She said the sector forms an integral part of the government’s quest to reset the economy and harness growth and productivity through sustainable rail transport.

Madam Affotey highlighted the government’s commitment to lift the phase Western Region is part of the government’s grand agenda to revive rail transport in the country.

”It is the vision of President John Mahama to transform the railway sector as a major part of the resetting Ghana agenda,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, the Transport Minister also announced the opening of the Tema-Mpakadan railway.

Speaking during the Government Accountability Series press conference held at the Presidency in Accra, Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe announced that a test run of the Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train, which was freshly procured from Poland and was involved in an accident in 2024, has been successfully carried out on the railway, which is set to be opened in October.

“The train that was involved in the accident during the test drive in 2024 has been repaired. A successful test run was carried out on September 16, “The 97km Tema to Mpakadan Railway Line, which is part of a multimodal system connecting Tema Port to Buipe Port via the Volta Lake, has been completed, and I am pleased to announce that the Tema–Mpakadan Railway will officially open on October 1,” he noted.

He continued that, the completion and soon to be opened railway forms part of government’s plans to broaden the rail infrastructure for goods and passenger services.

“The Government plans to modernise and expand the railway infrastructure for fleet and passenger services, creating jobs, boosting local economies and fostering trad” adding that “the viability of the rail line depends on fleet services but requires further investment in port infrastructure to facilitate the transfer of cargo between rail and the lake.”

Mr Nikpe said the Government had therefore taken steps to devolve the line for fleet operations.

About the project

The Tema-Mpakadan Railway Project is Ghana’s first standard-gauge railway, a 97.7 km line connecting Tema Port to Mpakadan on the Volta River.

The line’s key objective is to improve freight and passenger transport while reducing road congestion.

The project, financed by India Exim Bank, aims to integrate Ghana’s transport systems, boost economic activity and facilitate trade with neighbouring landlocked countries.

Trades Union Congress (TUC) announced that it will not tolerate the sidelining of the Ghana Railway Company Limited in issues related to the operations of Ghana’s national railway system. Their remarks come at a time when the government has yet to engage them on the commissioning of the Tema-Mpakadan railway set to happen in the next four days.

At a press conference organised by the Union on Wednesday, September 24th, to address the government’s delay and failure to settle the twelve-month salary of the railway workers, the General Secretary of the TUC, Joshua Ansah, admonished the government to abort it, as the operators, i.e., Ghana Railway Company Limited, have not been officially informed about it.

“The Ghana Railway Company Limited, which is the operator, the ministry can’t purport to run the Mpakadan rail line and other lines without the operator. We will resist any attempt to sideline the Ghana Railway Company Limited,” he added.

He also announced an imminent strike, set to take effect on September 30, if the government does not pay the twelve months' salary owed to the Railway Workers Union of Ghana by then.

Joshua Ansah, gave the government a six-day window to settle the workers or expect an industrial action to drum home their demands following the failure of authorities to address them.

According to him, the railway workers have been subjected to hardships in the last twelve months, and they are no longer going to take assurances without action from the government.

“It’s been 12 solid months since the workers of the company were paid. Just imagine the situation of a worker and their family in today’s Ghana without a salary for 12 calendar months,” adding that all they have exhausted all avenues to get their grievances addressed; however, all efforts have proven futile.

“We have written letters and engaged the government at the highest level. We will no longer settle for assurances. We have had enough of them already,” he said.

However, the railway services have announced that they are expected to resume in the coming days after the Railway Workers Union of Ghana called off its strike. This comes after the National Labour Commission (NLC) expressed its willingness to negotiate on the demands of the railway workers on September 30.