Ghana Railway Corporation
Encyclopedia
Transport in Ghana
Transport in Ghana is accomplished by road, rail, air and water. Ghana's transportation and communications networks are centered in the southern regions, especially the areas in which gold, cocoa, and timber are produced...
. The Ghana Railway Company Limited is a public-sector body with responsibility for the efficient management of the national rail system so as to enhance the smooth movement of goods and passengers.
History
Operations began in 1898 under the Gold Coast Civil Service with headquarters in Sekondi. The headquarters were transferred to Takoradi after the building of Takoradi Harbour, and railways and ports were jointly administered as the Ghana Railway & Ports Authority. In 1976, SMCD 95 separated the railway from ports as the Ghana Railway Corporation. The company enjoyed the status of a public corporation until 19 March 2001, when it became a limited liability company.The original 304 kilometres (188.9 mi) Eastern Railway was built in 1923 by the British for the purpose of hauling minerals and cocoa. Construction of the Ghana Railways started before there were any port facilities, and locomotives and other equipment had to be lightered
Lightering
Lightering is the process of transferring cargo between vessels of different sizes, usually between a barge and a bulker or oil tanker. Lightering is undertaken to reduce a vessel's draft in order to enter port facilities which cannot accept very large ocean-going vessels...
over the beach.
In 2010, a contract was signed to construct a railway from Paga
Paga
Paga is a town in northern Ghana, lying where the nation's main north-south road reaches the Burkina Faso border, north of Bolgatanga. There are plans to extend the Kumasi-Takoradi railway to Paga.- Overview :...
(on the border with Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
) to Kumasi; plus a branch from Tamale to Yendi.
Standards
- Coupling (railway)Coupling (railway)A coupling is a mechanism for connecting rolling stock in a train. The design of the coupler is standard, and is almost as important as the railway gauge, since flexibility and convenience are maximised if all rolling stock can be coupled together.The equipment that connects the couplings to the...
- AAR coupler - Brake (railway)Brake (railway)Brakes are used on the cars of railway trains to enable deceleration, control acceleration or to keep them standing when parked. While the basic principle is familiar from road vehicle usage, operational features are more complex because of the need to control multiple linked carriages and to be...
- Air brake - axleload - 16T
Single and double track
The system is single-trackSingle track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
with the exception of about 30 km (18.6 mi) of double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
between Takoradi and Manso
Manso, Ghana
- Transport :Manso lies on the western network of the Ghana Railway Corporation and is at the end of double track from Takoradi....
on the Western Line.
Gauge
The latest proposals in 2006 for upgrade and expansion include conversionGauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
of (narrow gauge) to (standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
).
Concession
In 2007 a consortium led by DubaiDubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
-based Kampac Oil Co signed a US$1.6 billion concession to develop the (Cape gauge
Cape gauge
Cape gauge is a track gauge of between the inside of the rail heads and is classified as narrow gauge. It has installations of around .The gauge was first used by Norwegian engineer Carl Abraham Pihl and the first line was opened in 1862.- Nomenclature :...
) Western Railway. Over five years a 500 kilometres (310.7 mi) line is to be constructed from Awaso
Awaso
Awaso is a town in western Ghana.It has a bauxite mine operated by the Ghana Bauxite Company. The mine is served by a rail branch line on the western Ghana rail system, however in 2007 much of the ore goes by road....
to Hamile
Hamile
Hamile is a town in far northwestern Ghana, not far from the border with Burkina Faso.- Transport :In July 2007, contracts were made for the construction of a railway extension to this town.- External links :...
near the border with Burkina Faso. The government awarded a US$1.4 billion concession for the Eastern Railway to Peatrack earlier in the year.
2007
- In July 2007, contract signed with Peatrak Company as part of ECOWAS plan.
- In February, a Korean engineering study group examined the proposed new lines and also gauge conversionGauge conversionIn rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
from to (standard gaugeStandard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
).
2008
- 2 diesel multiple unitDiesel multiple unitA diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s ordered from China CNR Corporation's TangshanTangshan"唐山"redirects here. For an alternative name of China, see Names of China#TangTangshan is a largely industrial prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has become known for the 1976 Tangshan earthquake which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and killed at least...
plant for a shuttle service from AccraAccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
to TemaTemaTema is a city on the Atlantic coast of Ghana, lying east of the Ghanaian capital city, Accra, in the region of Greater Accra. As of 2005, Tema had a population of 209,000. The Greenwich Meridian passes directly through the city...
. Each unit comprises two motor cars with Vossloh KiepeVossloh KiepeVossloh Kiepe is a German manufacturer of electrical traction equipment for trams, trolleybuses and other transport vehicles, as well as air-conditioning and heating systems, and conveyor device components.-History:...
and VoithVoithThe Voith GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations....
traction equipment, plus four trailer cars.
2010
In October 2010 the DMUs were launched. The line was commissioned in October 2010; in December 2010, work began on an extension to Tema harbour.Concrete sleepers
A plant to manufacture concrete sleeperConcrete sleeper
A concrete sleeper is a railroad tie made out of steel reinforced concrete.-History:Concrete sleepers were first made in Germany in 1906 for use between Nuremberg and Bamberg.-Types:...
s is to be set up in 2008 at the strategic railway junction at Huni Valley
Huni Valley
Huni Valley is a town in west central Ghana, in the Western Region of Ghana.- Rail :It is a junction on the west line for a cross country line to the east line....
.
External links
- Ministry of Transportation
- Railways in Ghana (photos)
- Addresses
- Rethinking rail
- Ghana Railway Corporation Managing Director
- Rehabilitation of railway line on course MyJoyOnline 16 March 2007
- Development; Inland portInland portThe term inland port is used in two different but related ways to mean either a port on an inland waterway or an inland site carrying out some functions of a seaport.- As a port on an inland waterway :...
- Ghana Railways at Ghana-net
- Ghana Railways
- Ghana revival starts as concessions are signed Railway Gazette International 10 September 2007
- Overview from Railway Gazette InternationalRailway Gazette InternationalRailway Gazette International is a monthly business journal covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by transport professionals and decision makers, railway managers, engineers, consultants...