President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that the design of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway includes space for a future railway line linking the two cities.
According to the President, the provision forms part of government’s broader plan to develop an integrated road and rail transport network to facilitate the movement of passengers and goods across the country.
He made the disclosure during the handover of the Right of Way for the Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
“In this expressway we’re doing, we’ve left some space that can accommodate a rail line between Accra and Kumasi,” President Mahama said.
He added that the Finance Minister would develop a financing plan aimed at revitalising Ghana’s railway sector.
“Aside from that, the Minister of Finance will come up with a financing plan to revitalize our railways,” he stated.
President Mahama said combining road and rail infrastructure would make the transportation of goods and passengers more efficient, particularly along major economic corridors.
“If we do that, it will make it easy to transport goods and passengers all over our country with ease,” he said.
The President also outlined a broader vision to establish an expressway network stretching from Aflao in the east to Elubo in the west, with the Accra-Kumasi Expressway eventually extended towards the northern parts of the country.
He said government was also advancing development along the Eastern Corridor, with plans to subsequently focus on the Western Corridor.
As part of efforts to improve connectivity around major urban centres, President Mahama said the Accra-Kumasi Expressway would be linked to the Greater Accra and Ashanti orbital road networks.
He noted that construction of the Ashanti Orbital, also known as the Kumasi Outer Ring Road, had already commenced under the government’s Big Push programme.
According to him, the project will allow heavy-duty trucks travelling from the southern part of the country towards Burkina Faso and other northern destinations to bypass Kumasi, reducing pressure on the city’s roads.
He added that the Greater Accra Orbital would similarly provide an alternative route for motorists travelling from Aflao who have no business entering Accra.
The President said the eventual connection of the two orbital roads through the Accra-Kumasi Expressway would create a more efficient and integrated transport network.
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