BRT to be introduced in Accra before year ends

The Ministry of Transport is developing a master transport plan for the Greater Accra Region which seeks to set a clear direction for transportation in the region for the next 20 years.

Under it, all modes of transport across the region will be integrated into an urban transport system.

The project, to be implemented over an 18-month period, is being funded with a $1.5-million Korean government grant and developed in collaboration with the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA)

The Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, announced this in Accra on Wednesday when her ministry took its turn at the meet-the-press series.

BRT services

Mrs Attivor said the ministry would also introduce a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service in Accra before the end of the year.

The service, she said, would initially operate on the Amasaman-Accra central business district (CBD) corridor on a pilot basis.

She said it would be replicated later on the Adenta-Accra and the Accra-Kasoa corridors, as well as in the regional capitals.

She said 10 of the buses for the BRT had been delivered and were being used for the training of drivers, as well as the scheduling of routes.

According to the Minister, the first batch of 85 buses which would be used for the Amasaman-Accra corridor would be delivered before the end of the year.

 Metro Mass Transit (MMT)

Mrs Attivor said 495 buses were also being acquired to strengthen the operations of the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) and the Intercity State Transport Company (ISTC).

According to her, the first set of 116 buses for the MMT had been delivered and fitted with turnstiles and e-ticketing systems, as well as wheelchair accessible and other facilities for disabled and elderly commuters.

 Aviation

Under the aviation sub-sector, Mrs Attivor said the ministry was in the process of building a second international airport in the Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region, adding that the process of acquisition of land was ongoing.

She said the construction of an air navigation centre would commence next month to provide state-of-the-art equipment for air navigation services to further enhance safety of aircraft operations in the country’s air space.

 Maritime sub-sector

On the maritime sub-sector, Mrs Attivor said the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) had signed an agreement with Meridian Port Services (MPS) aimed at increasing the current capacity of the Tema Port by equipping it with new facilities to accommodate more cargo, as well as increase the efficiency of the port.

She said the ministry had also procured three 50-seater, high-speed passenger ferries and one modular passenger/cargo vessel to strengthen the capacity of the Volta Lake Transport Company (VLTC) in the provision of cross-lake ferry services.

 Railways sub-sector

On the railway sub-sector, she said transaction advisory services were ongoing to assist in the selection of a private sector partner for the development of the Eastern rail line and the Boankra Inland Port as an integrated logistics corridor to increase transit trade and also reduce congestion at the Tema Port.

 Challenges

The minister mentioned inadequate funding to support infrastructure and service provision in the sector, draft limitations at the ports which did not meet the demands of bigger modern vessels, as well as the absence of a regulatory authority for the road transport service sub-sector, as some of the general challenges facing the ministry.

On the way forward, Mrs Attivor said the ministry would, among other things, continue to seek funding to reconstruct the remaining section of the Western rail line from Kojokrom to Kumasi.