Passenger services on the Tema–Mpakadan railway line will officially commence on October 1, 2025, Minister for Transport Joseph Bukari-Nikpe has announced.
The Minister confirmed that test runs on the 97.7-kilometre standard-gauge line were successfully completed on Tuesday, September 16, clearing the way for the start of operations.
“We have completed the test runs on the Tema–Mpakadan rail line, and everything is set for operations to begin on October 1, God willing,” Mr. Bukari-Nikpe said at the Government Accountability Series press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, September 17.
Constructed by Afcons Infrastructure and financed through a US$447 million credit facility from India’s Export–Import Bank, the project was inaugurated in November 2024. It represents the first phase of the Eastern Corridor Railway, designed to connect Ghana’s ports to the north and eventually extend into Burkina Faso.
Earlier projections had suggested that passenger operations might be delayed until mid-2026, following setbacks such as a test train accident in April 2024 and incidents of vandalism along sections of the track. By May 2025, the Ghana Railway Development Authority reported that about 75 percent of repair works had been completed.
Mr. Bukari-Nikpe’s announcement therefore marks the first confirmed operational date since the project’s inauguration. He further disclosed that two passenger coaches have been readied for the launch, noting that the new service will help ease traffic on the heavily congested Tema–Afienya corridor while offering businesses and commuters a reliable alternative mode of transport.
