Accra-based Citi News reported that the train horn was sounded repeatedly, but the man did not respond. Eyewitnesses at the scene noted that he appeared mentally alert at the time of the accident.

The Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) emphasized the need for caution near railway lines, urging pedestrians to stay alert and avoid walking along the tracks.

Authorities confirmed that emergency services responded promptly to provide medical attention to the injured individual.

In a related statement, the GRDA suggested that recent attacks on the train service may be linked to efforts to remove encroachers from the railway corridor, possibly as retaliatory actions.

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Four accused persons are standing trial for causing damage to a brand new train which was expected to ply the Tema-Mpakadan railway line.

In court on Thursday, the state withdrew an earlier charge sheet and replaced it with a new one.

In the new charge sheet laid before the court, the prosecution stated that the first accused on the day of the accident, bought some concrete blocks at Juapong in the Volta region and transported same to Abutia also in the Volta region.

After dispatching the blocks, the accused person and his colleagues decided to cross the railway as a shortcut. They, therefore, packed stones on that section of the railway to enable the truck to cross but unfortunately the truck got stuck.

Coincidentally, the Railway Authority was conducting a test run of the train on that same rail line at that moment, resulting in the impact.

That, according to the state, caused the damage to the train up to the tune of $2,138,466.66.

The four accused persons have been slapped with four counts including using a railway line in breach of the Railway Act; aiding in endangering persons in the train; using the railway line contrary to the Railway Act; unlawfully placing stones in the railway line contrary to the Railway Act; and causing unlawful damage.

They all pleaded not guilty to all four counts.

Despite a push by the state for the accused persons to be remanded to Nsawam prison, the Court has granted the four accused persons a 200.000 cedis bail with one surety to be justified.

The case has been adjourned to June 27.

Ghana will not bear the cost of repairing faulty train – Railways Minister

When the accident occurred, the Minister for Railways Development, John Peter Amewu, clarified that the responsibility of repairing the train involved in the accident during the test run will not be borne by the state per purchase agreement.

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

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.”

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The court presided over by Justice Mrs Lydia Osei Marfo, ordered the accused: Koku Koudjo, a 34-year-old gas welder, Patrick Kwaku Sosu, a 52-year-old labourer, Alaza Prosper, a 28-year-old labourer, and Fiadugbe Emmanuel, a 31-year-old labourer, to provide sureties with justifications.

They must report to the police every Friday.

The court ordered the accused and their sureties to submit copies of their Ghana Cards to the Court’s Registry.

It also warned the accused that if they failed to show up in court, their bail would be revoked, and should they arrive late, a bench warrant would be issued for their arrest.

The matter has been adjourned to June 6, 2024, for prosecution to file their disclosures.

The accused persons have been charged with abetment of unlawful damage.

They are accused of aiding Abel Dzidotor, a jailed truck driver, in causing unlawful damage to the Diesel Multiple Unit Train.

In granting them bail, the court noted that the investigations involving the accused were nearly completed.

According to the court, the damage caused could still be assessed even when the defendants were granted bail.

The prosecution, led by Assistant State Attorney Christabel Selma Anafure, informed the court that the state had requested experts to examine the damage.

As a result, she requested that the case be adjourned, and the accused remain remanded.

The defence counsel, led by Richard Laapo, brought to the court’s attention a bail application made on behalf of the accused.

Mr Laapo noted that the motion for bail had not been served on the Republic.

According to the defence lawyer, the Republic’s request for an adjournment should not prohibit the court from exercising its discretion and granting the accused bail.

“Per the submission of the Republic, they have invited experts to value the damage caused or suffered by the train.

“The assessment of the damage has no bearing on the grant of bail by the court,” he said.

The case of the prosecution was that the complainant, Dr Divine Olutey, is an Engineer with the Ghana Railway Corporation.

It said that on April 18, 2024, between 0900 and 1300 hours, the accused were on board a Hyundai Gold Truck with registration number GS 9018-20, driven by one Dzidotor Abel, who is now in jail.

The prosecution told the court that preliminary investigations revealed that Koudjo, the first accused, purchased blocks from a factory in Juapong and transported them to Abortia through the railway underpass.

Dzidotor, the convict, was in the truck with the accused. After discharging the blocks at Koudjo’s site, they chose to cross the railway with the vehicle instead of using the underpass.

The prosecutor claimed that despite knowing the railway lines were inaccessible to motor vehicles, the four accused used it as a “shortcut” to reach Juapong.

The prosecution said that when the accused realized they could not cross the railway tracks, they placed stones to create a route for the truck.

However, the truck got stuck on the railway line.

The prosecutor told the court that the accused tilted the truck’s head and left the scene without notifying trains on the tracks.

The prosecution said there was no access route across the railway tracks connecting the Juapong road.

It said regardless of whether the truck had crossed, a large gutter on the west side of the tracks would have prevented the accused from connecting to the Akuse-Juapong road.

The court was told that on the same day, the complainant and 28 engineers from Ghana and Poland took a test drive of the new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train from Tema to Mpakadan.

The prosecution said that the test run had been announced ahead of time and that when the train got to the Abortia area, it collided with a stationary Hyundai Gold truck on the railway track.

“Both the train and truck got damaged, the train was sent to Tema for examination while the scrap of the vehicle, which was damaged beyond repairs, was taken to the Juapong Police Station for further action,” Prosecution added.

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Currently, four people are standing trial for the bizarre accident which occurred when the newly acquired train run into a parked truck on the railway during a test run.

In court on Wednesday, the State represented by Christabel Selma Anafure argued that investigation has delayed because the manufacturers are yet to fly into the country to provide what is potentially the missing piece of the ongoing investigations.

“The valuation of the train damage is still underway, and this is because the assessment of the damage of the train involves the manufacturers coming down from Poland and this has caused a slight delay in the conclusion of the investigations”.

She argued and prayed the court for “a short adjournment” and assured the court that the investigation team will expedite their work.

Lawyer for the accused, Richard Laapo, on his part submitted to the court that the pending assessment and valuation to be conducted by the manufacturers has “no bearing on whether or not the court ought to grant bail to the accused persons”.

He thus prayed the court to grant bail to his clients.

The sitting judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, held the view that the valuation and assessment can still be done “even if the accused persons are on bail unless the prosecution is saying the accused persons would interfere with that assessment.”

Justice Marfo, thus, granted bail to each accused person in the sum of GHS200,000.00 with a surety each to be justified.

The accused persons are also expected to report to the police station of their arrest every Friday of the week.

They and their sureties have also been directed to deposit a photocopy of their Ghana cards to the court registry.

Meanwhile, the court has given an order to the state to file all disclosures on or before the next adjourned date.

The case has been adjourned to June 6 of this year.

Background

The incident occurred on Thursday, April 18 when the new DMU train approaching a curve at Km76+100, encountered a stationary vehicle right across the railway track.

A statement released by the Ministry clarified that although the train immediately applied the emergency brake, it was unable to completely stop and collided with the vehicle.

“It is important to note that the vehicle was unnamed and the location where it was found is not designated as an authorized level crossing,” the Ministry said.

Despite no injuries recorded, the driver’s cab of the train experienced a minor damage.

Again, the CEO of the Railways Development Authority, Mr Yaw Owusu has indicated that the manufacturer of the train will bear the costs of repairs of the damaged parts.

He however, stressed that the train has not been formally handed over to the government of Ghana.

Police investigation into the incident continues.

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They are Kokou Koudjo, a 34-year-old welder, Patrick Kwaku Sosu, a 52-year-old  labourer, Alaza Prosper, a 28-year-old labourer and Fiadugbe Emmanuel, a 31-year-old labourer.

The four accused persons have been charged with “abetment of unlawful damage”.

They are alleged to have aided Abel Adzidotor, the driver of the truck, which caused unlawful damage to a Diesel Multiple Unit train.

The High Court presided over by Justice Mrs Lydia Osei-Marfo did not take their pleas and remanded them into police custody pending further investigations into the matter.

The prosecution, led by Christabel Selma Anafure, Assistant State Attorney, prayed the court not to take the pleas of the accused persons as investigations were underway.

ASA Anafure asked the court to remand them into police custody and grant them a short adjournment.

The court obliged the prosecution’s prayer and asked the accused persons to secure lawyers of their choice by the next adjourned date.

The facts as read out in court are that the complainant is Dr Divine Olutey, an Engineer of the Ghana Railway Corporation.

The prosecution said on April 18, 2024, between 0900 hours and 1300 hours, the accused persons were on board a Hyundai Gold Truck with registration number GS 9018-20, driven by Dzidotor Abel (now a convict).

The prosecution said preliminary investigations revealed that Koujo, the first accused person, bought some blocks from a block factory at Juapong  and conveyed same to Abortia using the underpass of the railway lines.

The court heard that the convict was in the car with the four accused persons.

After discharging the blocks at Kouko’s site, the prosecution said they decided to avoid the under bridge and cross the railway lines with the vehicle.

According to the prosecution, the four accused persons, being fully aware that the railway lines were inaccessible to motor vehicles, still decided to use the railway lines as a “shortcut” to get to Juapong.

The prosecution said when they arrived at the railway lines, they realized that it was impossible to cross over the railway tracks, hence they decided to place stones on the railway lines to serve as a path for the truck to cross over.

However, the prosecution said the truck still got stuck on the railway line.

The accused persons tilted the head of the truck and left the scene without providing any warning for trains plying the tracks.

The prosecution said investigations disclosed that there was no access route across the railway tracks connecting the Juapong road and that even if the truck had successfully crossed the railway, a big gutter on the westside of the railway lines would have prevented the accused persons from connecting the Akuse-Juapong road.

The court was told that on the same day, the management of the Ghana Railway Corporation led by the complainant and other 28 engineers from Ghana and Poland embarked on a test run of the new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) Train from Tema to Mpakadan.

“This test run had been announced ahead of time. When the train got to the Abortia area, it rammed into the Hyundai Gold Truck, which was stuck across the railway lines.

 “Both the train and truck got damaged. The train was sent to Tema for examination while the scrap of the vehicle, which was damaged beyond repairs, was taken to the Juapong Police Station for further action,” the prosecution said.

The incident took place on Thursday, April 18, 2024, when one of the newly imported Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains, produced by a Polish manufacturer, was conducting a test run.

The train collided with a stationary Hyundai truck with registration number GS 9018-20 stuck on the rail line at Abotia community.

A statement from the Ministry of Railway Development confirmed that passengers were not injured in the accident.

However, the vehicle’s driver, 41-year-old Able Dzidotor was arrested and sentenced to six months in jail the next day by the Juapong Circuit Court.

The Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman, Thomas Ampem Nyarko condemned the driver for attempting to cross the rail tracks but emphasized the need for the constructor to review access routes to communities along the rail lines.

“I also think that looking at the situation here and the alternative route that has been provided by other users, vehicles to cross the area, the engineering work would have to be improved. If you look at this community there are buildings on both ends of the railway line so definitely people will need to cross to the other side looking at the passage provided underbridge and the fact that the vehicle crossing had to scratch under the bridge shows that, the space there is not long enough for vehicles that are a bit higher. We should not assume that only saloon vehicles will be crossing to the other side. We should make provisions for bigger trucks,” Thomas Ampem Nyarko said.

The MP described it as a ridiculous attempt to blame the accident on political sabotage.

“I want to say that it is ridiculous for anybody to think that this accident was deliberate and that it was a sabotage by some individuals or group of individuals”.

Also, the DCE for North Tongu, Divine Osborn Fenu stated that, the accident should not be politicized.

Though unfortunate, he said it should guide future safety measures in the communities along the railway lines.

“It is sad that anything that happens is politicized. This is an accident that has happened. Let’s solve the problem of the concerns raised by the residents. Will convey the grievances of the people to the engineer. We should not politicize everything,” the DCE said.

Belko Abubakari, Assemblyman for the Ayimagonu Electoral Area described the challenges faced by the community in accessing their homes and dismissed claims that the accident was politically motivated.

He rather called on the Ghana Railway Authority to sit with the communities to find ways to create access roads for them.

He said the three meters height under bridge, intended to facilitate safe movement of vehicles and residents, was built away from the community, forcing residents, especially children, to cross the rail lines.

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According to Ebenezer Sackitey, the incident occurred after the driver, Abel Dzidotor, went to deliver blocks in the truck with registration number GS 9018-20.

Unfortunately, he got stuck while using the railway track as an alternative route instead of a bridge used earlier.

“I was at the block factory when my driver came to me that he was finding it difficult to pass through under the bridge. He went earlier to go and offload the blocks and when he was coming back, he was not able to use the under bridge this time, so he had to return. Because he had offloaded the truck, it gained some height, so he was not able to use the under bridge this time,” the owner explained in a video shared by Ghone TV.

The breakdown of my truck on the rail line was a pure coincidence – Vehicle Owner explains circumstances surrounding train accident.#GHOneNews #GHOneTV pic.twitter.com/CziUV6Unou

— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) April 19, 2024

Abel allegedly abandoned the truck and went into hiding at Tagadzi where he was arrested and arraigned before court on Friday.

However, his boss revealed Abel and himself reported the incident at the police station, where the driver was taken into custody.

Meanwhile, the Juapong Circuit Court has sentenced Abel to six months imprisonment with hard labour for causing unlawful damage to public property, among two other charges.

Dzidotor pleaded guilty to three of the charges brought against him.

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According to him, the viral photo was not the point of the accident.

The footage from the scene was shared on Mr Amewu’s Facebook page following the accident on Thursday at 12:10 pm.

A 41-year-old driver, Abel Dzidotor, driver of the Hyundai truck with registration number GS 9018-20 and reportedly abandoned it on the railway track, has been arrested and jailed for six months.

But the Minister in an interview on Joy FM said he is yet to check the photo posted on his page because he doesn’t handle it himself.

“I haven’t seen the picture myself so I have to get to my Facebook. I think someone manages that Facebook but the picture I saw on social media was a photoshop of a vehicle they have put across the line and that is not even the point. That is not kilometer 76,” he said.

One of the two trains recently procured from Poland meant to serve the Tema-Mpakadan railway line crashed during a test run within the Asuogyaman District.

The Ministry of Railways Development in a statement said as the train approached the curve at Km76+100, it confronted a stationary vehicle obstructing the rail track, leading to the accident.

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

There were no fatalities from the accident as passengers, drivers, crew members, and bystanders all emerged unharmed from the incident.

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The Ministry of Railways Development in a statement revealed the accident occurred at approximately 12:10 pm.

The Ministry said as the train approached the curve at Km76+100, it confronted a stationary vehicle obstructing the rail track, leading to the accident.

In the footage shared on Facebook by the sector Minister, John-Peter Amewu, the train was captured on top speed before it rammed into the truck.

The train dragged the Hyundai truck with registration number GS 9018-20 which was abandoned on the rail over a distance.

Meanwhile, the Juapong Circuit Court on Friday sentenced Abel Dzidotor, a 41-year-old driver who was in charge of the truck to six months jail term.

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The driver of a Hyundai truck with registration number GS 9018-20 has been apprehended for allegedly causing the collision with a Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train.

Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the driver had left his vehicle unattended on the railway line, which ultimately led to the tragic accident involving the train.

The police have stated that their inquiry into the incident is ongoing as they gather further information.

The accident occurred during a test run of a recently procured train from Poland, intended to serve the Tema-Mpakadan railway line.

According to the Ministry of Railways Development, the incident took place around 12:10 pm on Thursday, April 18.

As the train approached a curve at Km76+100, it encountered the stationary vehicle obstructing the rail track, resulting in the collision.

Fortunately, there were no reported injuries to passengers on the train or bystanders. However, minor damage was sustained to the driver’s cab section of the train.

The Ministry emphasized that the location where the vehicle was found is not designated as an authorized level crossing, and it was unmanned at the time of the accident.

They assured the public that investigations into the incident are underway to determine the full circumstances surrounding the collision

Eleven others have sustained various degrees of injuries in the accident that occurred on Friday evening.

Reports indicate it occurred when two haulage trucks collided following a suspected faulty braking system.

The two trains were moving in opposite directions on the Tarkwa-Kojokrom route.

Officials from the Ghana National Fire Service and the Police have been to the scene.