Akufo-Addo to cut sod for Kumasi-Obuasi rail project

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is scheduled to cut sod for the commencement of phase one of the Kumasi-Obuasi new standard gauge railway line.

The sod-cutting ceremony is slated for 9:00 am on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, at Kaase, Kumasi.

The Kumasi-Obuasi forms part of other standard gauge rail lines being constructed across the country by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

The first-ever train to Kumasi arrived in 1903. It was a narrow gauge and has remained so for several decades.

But under the Joe Ghartey-led Railways Development Ministry and the supervision of President Nana Akufo-Addo, the narrative is changing for the better.

Kumasi and indeed several parts of Ghana are now seeing standard gauge railways being constructed, with the primary aim of building upon Ghana’s transport network and boosting economic activities by ensuring reduced travel time for persons and goods.

From 2017 till date, the Railways Development headed by Joe Ghartey, Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan in the Western Region, has succeeded largely in transforming Ghana’s railway sector.

The Ministry and indeed Government has been successful to a large extent in moving Ghana away from its ‘colonial’ narrow gauge rail tracks to standard gauge, constructing several kilometres of railway lines and rehabilitating ones constructed as far back as colonial times.

The Kumasi-Obuasi rail project forms part of the new standard gauge Western Line which is being developed from Sekondi-Takoradi to Kumasi.