DMU train: Wrongfully parked vehicle caused accident – Police

The Ghana Police Service has arrested a Hyundai truck driver for allegedly causing an accident involving a Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line today, Thursday, April 18, 2024.

A preliminary police investigation has established that the suspect driver left the said vehicle with registration number GS 9018-20 unattended on the railway line, leading to a collision with the train. 

In a statement on Monday evening, April 18, 2024, the police said the investigation into the incident will continue.

The train, which was recently procured from Poland by Ghana and meant to serve the Tema-Mpakadan railway line, was involved in an accident during a test run within the Asuogyaman District.

A statement issued on the incident by the Ministry of Railways Development said the accident happened at approximately 12:10 pm on Thursday, April 18.

The Ministry explained that as the train approached the curve at Km76+100, it confronted a stationary vehicle, obstructing the rail track, hence 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,” the statement added. 

The Ministry, however, said there were no fatalities from the accident. 

The new train assembled in Poland for railway transportation in Ghana was conducting a site acceptance test when the accident occurred.

The new trains will transport passengers from Mpakadan through Kpong, Juapong, and Doryumu all the way to Tema port, and then the passengers can switch from the standard-gauge line to a narrow-gauge line to take them all the way to the heart of Accra.

The Tema-Mpakadan railway line is a 97-kilometre standard-gauge railroad constructed from Tema to Mpakadan to facilitate the movement of goods and people along the eastern corridor of Ghana.

It complements and forms part of the multi-transport system from the Tema port to the southern part of Ghana and to the inland port in the northern part of Ghana.

The development of that railway line will be completed in 2024. The line is part of a planned 1000-kilometre Ghana-Burkina Faso interconnectivity project, which will connect Ouagadougou to the Port in Tema.

Source: Graphic Online