The Railway Company has started a two-week free ride for passengers along the Accra-Tema railway line to test-run its operations.

The Minister for Railways, Joe Ghartey was joined by hundreds including the Minister of Information, Kwadwo Oppong Nkrumah, the MD of the Ghana Railway Company Limited, John Essel and Black Stars coach Kwasi Appiah aboard the test-run of the Accra-Tema Train shuttle.

Activities of squatters along the tracks prevented the Railway Company from an earlier scheduled test-run in January 2019.

Shuttle service

The shuttle is expected to offer free rides for the next two weeks before it begins commercial operations at a cost of GHC 5 per passenger.

The shuttle has a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train which seats 360 persons with ample room for tens more to stand on a trip expected to last one hour thirty minutes (1hr30mins).

It is powered by onboard diesel engines and requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages.

The train will depart the Community 1 Station at 6:00 am daily and make stops at the Tema Fishing Harbour, Tema Harbour Station, Asoprochana Station, Nungua Barrier (Mile 11), Addogonno (Mile 9), Batchona Station, Airport, Abelenkpe, Achimota Station, Odaw Station (Circle) before docking at the Accra Central Railway Station at 7:30 am.