To become the most modern, successful and preferred rail transport service provider in Ghana.
To Work closely with our stakeholders to provide to our loyal customers efficient, reliable, environmentally friendly and safe rail transportation service in Ghana. We will accomplish this by:
The railway was first contemplated in 1870, but it was not until 1896 that concrete steps were taken towards a realization of the project at a time when the gold mines in the Tarkwa area were attracting considerable attention. Construction started from Sekondi in 1898 and reached Kumasi (267km) in 1903, having passed through Tarkwa in 1901 and Obuasi in 1902. Train operation started in 1903.
Below is the development history of Ghana’s Railway System:-
Ghana’s small but economically vital rail network is confined to the southern half of the country which is also the most populous and economically advanced. It is managed by the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL), a public sector organization, under the tutelage of the Ministry of Railways Development. GRCL began operations in 1896 as a state department mandated with the responsibility of transporting goods and passengers in the southern part of the country. The Company operated a network with a route length of 947 kilometers comprising the Western line (Takoradi, Dunkwa, Awaso and Kumasi), Central line (Huni valley - Kotoku) and Eastern line (Accra, Tema – Kumasi), with a total track length of 1,300 kilometers. The network has five (5) major branch lines three (3) of which are on the Western and one each on the Eastern and the Central Lines. With the exception of the 30-kilometer Takoradi-Manso section which is double track to meet increased traffic density, the rest of the networkis distributed on a single-track system of 1067mm (3’6”) gauge. Minerals (Bauxite and Manganese) constituted the main stream of goods traffic on the network but Cocoa and Timber traffic made important contribution to earnings of the Company sometime past. Passenger train services were provided on all the three (3) corridor (Western, Eastern and Central). Currently, only manganese is being hauled from Nsuta to Takoradi Port and thus limited commuter service from Takoradi to Sekondi via Kojokrom, Accra to Nsawam, Achimota to Tema and Takoradi to Tarkwa are all suspended.
The Railway organisation started in 1901 as a department of the Gold Coast Service. Its headquarters was located at Sekondi where construction of Ghana’s rail system began in 1898. The headquarters was later moved to Takoradi in 1934, when a new Administration Block was completed along with the Takoradi Harbour in 1927. With the building of the harbour, the railway and the harbour came under the joint administration of Railway and Harbours Administration. A succession of expatriate civil servants headed the railways as General Manager and Harbours Authority until 1960, when the first Ghanaian head of the then Locomotive Department now Mechanical/Electrical Engineering Department was appointed to the post. The Railway and Harbours Administration became a statutory corporation on 1st July 1972, with the passing of the Railway and Ports Act 1971 Decree (SMCD) which separated the Railway from the Ports and established them as two distinct bodies-corporate under separate administrations. In August 1982, the Board of Directors gave way to an Interim Management Committee (IMC) of seven under the Chairmanship of the General Manager. Again, in December, 1984, a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) was set up, to replace the IMC, as an advisory body. The post of General Manager was changed to “Managing Director in May 1985. In February 1995, the Board of Directors were re-constituted and now the Railway has an eight member Board. On 7th March, 2001, Railway was issued with a Certificate of Incorporation by the Registrar of Companies, and is now known as Ghana Railway Company Limited. This is to allow for private sector participation and investments into railway operations. Executive control of the organisation is vested in the Managing Director who is assisted by two Deputy Managing Directors, one of Administration and Operations, [DMD(A/O)] and the other for Engineering,[DMD(E)]. The day to day management of its business falls under the jurisdiction of Heads of Department, who variously report to the Managing Director and his deputies. Area Managers are responsible for the Regional offices in Tarkwa, Kumasi and Accra for administrative control and co-ordination of work in the regions.
