Train damage: “Ghana is not responsible for any costs related to the repair” -Railway Dev’t Authority

The Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA), has confirmed that the government will not be liable for over $2.1 million in repair costs for a newly procured train involved in an accident on the Tema-Mpakadan rail line.

This announcement follows revelations from prosecutors that the damages, assessed by the train’s manufacturers, amount to $2,138,466.86.

The incident occurred on April 18, 2024, during a test run of the train in the Asuogyaman district of the Eastern region.

Speaking to Accra-based Starr News, Yaw Owusu, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Railway Development Authority, clarified that the government would not incur any costs for the repairs.

“So basically, the train was under test before being handed over to the government of Ghana. At the time of the accident, the train had not been officially handed over. Additionally, the train was fully insured by the supplier and the manufacturer,” Mr. Owusu explained.

He emphasized that the government would not bear any expenses, whether for repairs or replacement of the damaged parts.

“Yes, two million is a huge amount of money and as I said, even though it’s a huge amount of money, the train was fully insured by the manufacturer and supplier and therefore the government is not responsible for any other two million dollars that is going to cost to repair or replace any damaged part of the train”, he added.

“…it was going to cost the Ghana government absolutely nothing because officially it had not been handed over to the government of Ghana. Whether it was the repairs or the replacement of the train, it will cause the government of Ghana nothing”, Mr. Owusu explained.

In related development, Abel Dzidotor, the driver allegedly responsible for the train accident, has been sentenced to a six-month jail term.