What a 1960's report on fast trains reveals about current state of Ghana’s railway system

A resurfaced archival report from the 1960s detailing plans for fast passenger train services in Ghana has triggered renewed conversations about the country’s struggling railway sector and decades of unfulfilled transport plans.

The report, originally published by the Daily Graphic and reshared on its X page on May 26, 2026, carried the headline “Fast Train Services Planned.”

According to the report, authorities at the time announced plans to improve railway transportation, particularly on the Kumasi-Accra rail line.

“Fast passenger train services have been proposed for Ghana. They may run on the Kumasi-Accra line,” the report quoted F.H. Wriglestead of British Transport Railways and Transport Auxiliary as saying during a visit to Takoradi.

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The report added that the proposed services were expected to operate with available railway coaches, existing power systems, rolling stock, and refurbished second-hand trains.

It further stressed the importance of railway transport to Ghana’s economy at the time, noting that the Railway and Harbours Authority expected freight revenue of £116,277 for the year.

“The total tonnage of goods handled by the freight trains last year was 1,054,358 tons compared with figures for the previous year of 1,016,105 tons,” portions of the report stated.

The resurfaced publication has reignited debate over Ghana’s railway development, especially as successive governments over the decades have repeatedly promised to modernise and expand the rail network.

Under the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the proposed Sky Train project generated significant public attention but later became controversial after failing to materialise.

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Meanwhile, the Afienya-Mpakadan railway project, initiated during the same administration, has seen partial implementation, with some train services operating between Tema and Afienya despite the project not being fully completed.

The archival report has also reminded many Ghanaians that railway transport once played a major role in both passenger and cargo movement across the country.

With Ghana still seeking to revitalise its rail sector, the resurfaced 1960 report has prompted fresh questions about whether the country can finally achieve the long-promised transformation of its railway system.