The incident involving one of Ghana’s newly acquired trains from Poland, which resulted in an accident during a test run, has sparked a significant debate on social media.
The Minister for Railways Development, John Peter Amewu, has provided a detailed account of the incident, assuring that there were no casualties.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, Minister Amewu explained that the accident occurred at approximately 12:15 pm while the train was approaching kilometer 76 from Tema. He further elaborated that the train driver only noticed the parked Kia truck on the railway when it was already too late to stop the train.
“Today, unfortunately, around 12:15pm, the Ministry in collaboration with our foreign engineers and the Ghana Railway Development Authority conducted a test run from kilometer zero which is at the workshop in Tema towards kilometer 98 at Mpakadan,” Mr. Amewu said.
“On approaching kilometer 76, [there was] a Kia truck parked right across the rail line, you know, stationary. As the train approached, the driver tried to apply the static state to enable the train to halt. But because it was very close to the Kia truck, it was unable to and therefore run straight into it.”
The Minister further explained that aside from the damage to the front of the train, there were no further issues, adding that engineers are currently working on fixing the train.
“The engineers are currently working on it. The train has been brought back to the workshop. The Kia driver himself has reported himself to the police station, but the conduct of the driver as of now cannot be well explained,” the Minister said.
“And the good thing is that all the passengers and the inspectors on board the train, none of them got injured and we are currently in the process of assessing the damage to the train. Technically, I would say the train is still in very good form. Nothing in terms of electrical or the engine has been affected, except the front that got slightly damaged.
“The Polish engineers who were assembling the train are in charge and expected to be handed over to government. The government had not yet taken complete ownership of the train. So we are hoping that the insurance company will work on it as quickly as possible for us to put the train back on the line.”
Earlier this month, the initial set of trains manufactured in Poland reached the Tema Port with the aim of enhancing railway transportation in the country.
The commencement of operations for these new trains is anticipated to take place in May, necessitating a test run to ensure their preparedness in serving the public.
