Ghana’s Newly Imported Train from Poland Involved in Accident

The first of the two Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), a multiple unit train, procured by Ghana and imported into the country has been involved in a non-fatal accident on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line.

The accident left the driver’s cab section of the train with “minor damage”, a statement issued by the Minister for Railways Development said.

The accident occurred at noon on April 18, 2024, during the Site Acceptance Test (SAT) of the new DMU on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line.

Cause
The statement by the Ministry said the DMU rammed into an unmanned car parked across the rail track upon approaching the curve at Km76+100.

“Despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before colliding with the vehicle.”

It also noted that no casualty was recorded in the accident.

The vehicle has since been moved to the workshop for further assessment and necessary repairs.

Arrest
Upon a report to the police, one person has been arrested, the Ghana Police Service said in a statement on Thursday night.

“The Ghana Police Service has arrested the driver of a Hyundai truck with registration number GS 9018 – 20 for allegedly causing an accident involving a Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line today Thursday 18th April 2024,” a part of the statement read.

It explained that preliminary investigation established that the suspect driver left the said vehicle unattended on the railway line, leading to a collision with the train.

About the Train
The said train is one of the two trains from Poland procured at $4.2 million for commercial passenger service on the 97-kilometre (km) standard gauge Tema-Mpakadan railway line, starting in June this year.

It arrived in the country on March 28, 2024, in separate knockdown components. It was assembled at a railhead (a train yard) near the Tema port.

Source: opemsuo.com /Hajara Fuseini