4 persons arrested for allegedly cutting rail lines

At least four persons have been arrested for allegedly cutting sections of rail lines in the Western Region.

The four suspects are said to be among a growing number of individuals who have been cutting parts of the Western Rail Lines, especially the Angu-Manso section.

The cutting of the lines, according to the Ghana Railways Company Limited, has resulted in 19 derailments on the main Western Rail Lines since November 2020.

The arrests are reported to have been made by state security personnel. The suspects are yet to be prosecuted.

A civil engineer of the Railway Company is alleged to have been aiding those allegedly destroying the Rail Lines.

Due to the destruction, the Ghana Railway Company was December 30, 2020 compelled to deploy engineers and track managers to fix another damaged line at Manso.

Over the past four years, the Government of Ghana has signed over one billion dollars’ worth of contracts to develop sections of the Western line between Takoradi Harbour and Huni Valley by Amandi Holdings Ltd totalling 102km and valued at 500million Euros and between Kumasi and Obuasi to be developed by David Walters Ltd and Afcons Ltd of India who are building the Tema to Mpakadan line.

The Western Line stretches from Takoradi in the Western Region to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

Source: Melvin Tarlue, Contributor