The Minister for Railways Development, John Peter Amewu, has clarified that the responsibility for repairing Ghana’s new train that was involved in an accident during a test run at Abortia in the Volta Region, will not be on the state.

According to the minister, the government will not bear the cost per purchase agreement.

“The train has been sent to the maintenance yard in Tema, where Polish engineers have assessed the extent of damage. Plans are well underway to fix it,” Mr Amewu stated during an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express.

He reassured the public that despite the accident, the train remained technically sound, with a solid electronic system and engine.

The damage primarily affects the front of the train, which requires replacement parts.

Responding to inquiries about who would cover the repair expenses, Mr Amewu highlighted that Ghana had not yet taken ownership of the train at the time of the incident.

“There was no transfer of ownership. Which means the supplier was still responsible for the train. We’ll get ownership when the government has made the full payment, which we haven’t done yet,” he noted.

He added, “So Ghana is not going to bear the cost of repairing the train involved in the accident during the test ride.”

He also provided insights on the timeline for the repair process, estimating it could take two to three weeks to complete.

Background

Last Thursday, the Railways Ministry issued a statement detailing how the train accident occurred. According to the ministry, despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before crashing into the truck.

Following the accident, the driver of the truck, Abel Dzidotor, has been jailed for six months after pleading guilty to three of the four charges against him, including inconsiderate driving and causing unlawful damage.

Four more persons have been also picked up by the police for their alleged roles in the accident.