Tema-Mpakadan passenger rail services to begin on October 1

Passenger services on the Tema–Mpakadan railway line will officially commence on October 1, 2025, Transport Minister Joseph Bukari-Nikpe has announced.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, September 17, Mr. Bukari-Nikpe confirmed that test runs on the 97.7-kilometre standard-gauge line were successfully completed on Tuesday, September 16, clearing the way for operations to begin.

“We have done a test run on the Tema–Mpakadan rail line, and it ended yesterday. So by October 1, God willing, we will start the first operations from Tema to Mpakadan. We have finished with the test runs and everything is set for us to start operations,” the Minister told journalists.

Constructed by Afcons Infrastructure with financing from a US$447 million credit facility secured from India’s Export–Import Bank, the project was inaugurated in November 2024. It forms the first phase of the Eastern Corridor Railway, a strategic link designed to connect Ghana’s ports to the north and ultimately extend to Burkina Faso.

Although initial projections indicated operations might be delayed until mid-2026—owing to setbacks such as a test train accident in April 2024 and vandalism on track components—the minister’s announcement provides the first concrete operational date since the line’s commissioning. In May 2025, the Ghana Railway Development Authority disclosed that 75 percent of the necessary repair works had been completed, raising hopes for an earlier start.

Mr. Bukari-Nikpe revealed that two passenger coaches are ready for deployment once services begin. The line is expected to ease road traffic on the congested Tema–Afienya corridor while offering commuters and businesses a safe, reliable, and cost-effective alternative mode of transport.