Sky train: NDC’s Jinapor commends Peter Amewu

The Member of Parliament for the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency, John Abdulai Jinapor has commended the Minister of Railway Development, John Peter Amewu for being honest about government inability to construct a sky train in the country.

According to him, the development shows Mr Amewu has shifted from the usual government propaganda and that deserves commendation.

“Let me commend Peter Amewu on that, let me commend Peter Amewu, it looks like he is shifted from the normal propagandist way of going about things. He is being honest that look, contrary to what president Akufo-Addo told you as a Minister  I have come to sit at that office and am saying that the President was day dreaming and his dreams are far fetch,” Mr Jinapor said.

Mr Jinapor commended the minister on TV3 NewDay on Thursday, November 25, monitored by GhanaPlus.com.

Accra to get first train in August 2020

Accra sky train, a project to help reduce the heavy vehicular traffic in the country’s capital was announced by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led government in 2018.

The project was expected to start on January 2020 according to then Minister for Railway Development, Mr Joe Ghartey who signed the agreement for Ghana on the sidelines of the Africa Investment Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“Today, we have signed an MoU, which will last nine months, where they (Ai SkyTrain Consortium) can do their feasibility into detail. After which we have given ourselves 45 days to take our concessionary agreements for approval by Cabinet and also by Parliament. By January 2020, we should start the construction of the project,” Mr Ghartey was reported by Graphiconline.com to have said.

But years on, a little had been said about the project by the government.

‘It is not possible, there won’t be any sky train in Ghana’ – Peter Amewu

However, speaking on Accra base Citi TV, Minister for Railways Development, Mr John Peter Amewu said the project is not possible, not even in the next three to four years ahead.

He said Ghana do not have the financial muscle to support such capital intensive project hence it is not possible.

“Rail construction takes a lot of time and it is also capital intensive. A kilometre of a railway line is about four to five times the cost of building a concrete infrastructure in terms of building an asphaltic road. So considering the fiscal space that we have in the country, facilities to absorb it is becoming problematic for the government and you know our current debt to GDP which is in excess of 70%.

“The sky train that we are talking about is the one that is going to run on columns in the sky like the ones you see in Dubai but no agreement has been signed” .

“it is not possible to be done now. I don’t see any sky train being done in the next 3 to 4 years. There is not going to be any sky train in the country. It is not possible,” Mr Amewu said.

Source: GhanaPlus.com