• Tema-Mpakadan railway restart delayed by train breakdown on launch
• Line part of Ghana’s $30B, 4,000-km rail expansion plan
• Rail revival efforts struggle amid aging infrastructure, road congestion

The planned commercial restart of the Tema-Mpakadan railway line was hit by a setback on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, when a passenger train failed to reach its destination on time due to a technical breakdown, according to local media reports. The start of operations had been announced for that date by the Ghana Railways Development Authority (GRDA).

The 100-kilometer (62-mile) segment had been shut down just months after its November 2024 inauguration due to track defects, requiring subsequent rehabilitation work and technical trials. The line is meant to boost mobility and facilitate freight shipments from the port city of Tema to the eastern regions of Ghana, forming part of the ambitious 1,000-kilometer Standard Gauge Rail (SGR) network project.

Local media also reported on the advanced state of disrepair affecting the infrastructure and trains on the Sekondi-Takoradi-Kojokrom line, which was inaugurated in 2016 following an estimated $165 million USD investment. Service on the 15-kilometer route was initially suspended in March 2020 for an uncompleted SGR conversion. Operations resumed sporadically later that year before being completely interrupted in 2024.

Despite government efforts in recent years, the revival of Ghana's rail transport system is struggling to materialize. Mobility challenges persist, with traffic heavily concentrated on the road network, leading to severe congestion, particularly in Accra and Tema.

An ambitious plan presented under the administration of President Nana Akufo-Addo aimed to crisscross the entire country with 4,000 kilometers of rail lines, including connections to Burkina Faso, a major client of the Port of Tema. The implementation of this plan is projected to require nearly $30 billion USD in investment. According to authorities, approximately 75 percent of the planned 4,000 kilometers remains unbuilt.

Henoc Dossa