Rusted Dreams: $165M Kojokrom-Takoradi railway project left to decay

On 26th November 2016, the Kojokrom railway station became the centre of national attention. The atmosphere was filled with excitement as President Mahama commissioned the Sekondi-Takoradi-to-Kojokrom railway line, declaring: “This marks the beginning of the transformation of the railway network in Ghana.” His words carried the weight of history. For decades, Ghana’s once-proud railway system, built in the colonial era to connect mines and ports, had languished in disrepair, becoming a relic of a bygone age. But on that day, in Kojokrom, it felt like a new narrative was being written.

The 15-kilometre suburban railway had terminals at Kojokrom, Sekondi, and Takoradi, with four stations in Sekondi Prisons, Ketan, Butuah, and Essaman, all within the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis. The project, which cost the state $165 million, was to enhance the movement of goods and passengers in the area. The people in the metropolis were jubilant, hopeful, and full of joy.

The reconstruction of the rail lines, which began in 2012, consisted of a five-kilometre single-lane track from Kojokrom to Sekondi and a 10-kilometre track from Kojokrom to Takoradi.

Nearly a decade later, the promise of transformation has withered.

Today, The Fourth Estate can report that the Kojokrom train station is buried in an eerie silence—no train whistles, no passenger chatter, and no wheel clatter. The shine of the metal mesh seat is dampened by rust. The silver boarding gates are also losing their lustre. Weeds are creeping over the roof of the building. In this quiet decay, spiders have woven intricate cobwebs.

Rust has eaten into the metal of the two stagnant luxurious coaches like a slow-burning fire, spreading in shades of reddish-brown and orange, leaving behind jagged textures that flake at the slightest touch.

The $165 million investment now lies in ruin. Each idle day turns the trains from assets to liabilities.

Voices of Disappointment

A student of the University of Mines and Technology, Michael Amponsah Safo, who walks on the rail line daily, said he gets angry anytime he sees the idle train.

On one of his daily commutes, he made a video and posted it on X, formerly twitter, ranting about how the coaches were rusting away.

“I have been schooling for months, and we have never seen any engineer coming to visit the train. We haven’t seen anybody boarding it. We haven’t seen anything being done about it. As a matter of urgency, the government must make the rail run again,” he ranted.

Just about five kilometres from Kojokrom is the Sekondi train station. The rail tracks are no longer for trains; they’re overrun by weeds. What was once meant to be a symbol of progress has now become a playground, where children play football and all sorts of games.

Sections of the station’s roofing are ripped, exposing metallic beams to sunshine and rain.

From an overpass bridge, Stephen Mensah gazes down at the silent Kojokrom train station. A spark of nostalgia lights up his face as he recalls the days when the trains hummed with life.

“I was excited when the trains were commissioned because they were fully air-conditioned. It was convenient, relaxing, and we could reach Takoradi in about 25 minutes. When the train was working, people from the villages came to sell foodstuffs without hassle.”

Despite the millions spent, the project has delivered nothing but rust and disappointment.

Stephen says residents plan to petition their Member of Parliament, Grace Ayensu Danquah of Esikado-Ketan, to push the Ministry of Railways to revive the line.

“We will discuss that with our MP, when she comes to the constituency. We will tell her to get in touch with the minister in charge of railways to operationalise the train service. The train should not be abandoned,” he said.

Another resident of Kojokrom, Kwabena Abadu, echoed the frustration of the suspended rail service. “In the past, it took about 20 minutes to travel from Kojokrom to Takoradi by road because the roads were good. But currently, sometimes it takes more than 30 to 45 minutes to get to Takoradi because of traffic jam,” he said.

Silence from the Authorities

The Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA), which oversaw the project, cannot explain why the $165 million line has ground to a halt. Its spokesperson, Sahadatu Alhassan, admitted the shutdown was linked to “issues between GRDA and the Ghana Railway Company” but refused to give details. Pressed for clarity, she could only say: “The least said about it, the better.”

She added, “No matter how many times you bring back this question, what I would say is we are working on it and everything will be resolved. You will see it run again; when, I cannot say, but we are doing our best.”

Her evasive answers mirror the silence of the rusting coaches. Nearly a decade after taxpayers funded the project, no official can say who is responsible or when services will resume. The line, once celebrated as a national milestone, is now trapped in bureaucratic limbo; and the people of Sekondi-Takoradi are demanding answers.

At the Government Accountability Series on 17th September 2025, the Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, also dodged specifics.

Asked when Sekondi-Takoradi residents could expect services, he said: “…we inherited a situation where contractors had abandoned sites because of unpaid certificates. We have gone into discussions with them and, as I reported, Amandi has resumed work. Other contractors remain, and the Attorney General’s office is assisting us to resolve contractual arrangements.”

The minister’s explanation did not specifically include when the rail service would begin and what caused it to be suspended. 

The Kojokrom–Takoradi railway was troubled from the start. Though commissioned in 2016, full operations only began ten months later. On March 9, 2020, the line was suspended for conversion from narrow to standard gauge. This was because the then Minister for Railway Development, Joe Ghartey, said the Kojokrom to Takoradi rail line had to be converted to a standard gauge because Ghana’s policy was to ensure all rail lines were upgraded and modernised. COVID-19 prolonged the shutdown. Operations resumed briefly in October 2020 but remained erratic. In 2024, the service was suspended entirely and has not returned.

Since then, the tracks have wasted away, overtaken by weeds, rust, and silence. For the people of Sekondi-Takoradi, the rail service meant to speed their journeys and revive business now stands as a painful reminder that in Ghana, promises of progress can so easily be derailed.

At Sekondi, the broken station clock hangs frozen, hands stiff against the dial. Like that clock, the $165 million railway project remains stuck in time -abandoned, seemingly forgotten and definitely decaying.