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Mr Fifi Kwetey, the Minister of Transport, says government has now secured funding to construct Tema to Akosombo Railway lines to facilitate haulage of cargo on the Volta Lake to Buipe and its environs.

He said the Indian Exim Bank facility would soon be placed before Cabinet and Parliament for approval to execute the project.

Speaking at the Meet-The-Press series in Accra, the Minister said the construction of the Sekondi-Takoradi via Kojokrom sub-urban railway line was also on course and it was about 80 per cent complete.

The project, he said, sought to improve commuter services between the twin cities and reduce congestion on the road.

“It will also provide a rail link from the port to a container depot at the Sekondi Railway Station area to ease the congestion at the Takoradi Port,” he said.

Mr Kwetey said the track work from Sekondi to Kojokrom had been completed while that from Kojokrom to Takoradi was on-going.

“The construction of the new Sekondi station building is almost completed awaiting fittings whiles others at Butua, Takoradi and Kojokrom stations are at various stages of completion,” he said.

He said the Ministry was seeking other sources of funding to reconstruct the remaining Western Rail Line and had requested the Ghana Port and Habour Authority to collaborate with Ghana Railway Development Authority for the execution of the project.

Meanwhile, feasibility has been completed for the reconstruction of the Eastern Railway Line to link the Boankra Inland Port and would soon go out for bidding for a strategic investor to undertake the project, he said.

Mr Kwetey also touched on the various expansion works on-going at the Aviation, Ports and Harbours, and road sectors and pledged governments commitment to transform the transport sector for total comfort of users and increased profitability.

He said the Ministry would continue to seek other sustainable funding sources to finance infrastructure development in the sector and ensure the enactment of appropriate regulations, especially in the road transport services sub-sector, to improve efficiency in the sector.