Joe Ghartey,
the Minister of Railway Development, has reiterated the government’s resolve to
realise the completion of the Sky train project only if it is becomes satisfied
with the terms and conditions available by the company in charge of the
project.
“The government is not paying for the
feasibility of the project, but only liaising with other government agencies to
grant the company behind the Sky train project access to complete its feasibility
studies for the project,” he noted.
Mr
Ghartey explained that the cynicism the project has been met with, will not
deter his ministry’s resolve to ensure the Skyline project was realised in the
best interest of the citizenry and likened the project to construction of
Akosombo dam by Ghana’s First President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the dam was met with
same level of cynicism.
Sky Train systems are pre-fabricated using
precision molded, pre-stressed reinforced concrete components capable of
installed at rapid rate, minimal disruption and congestion in urban area
undergoing installation and commissioning.
The proposed initiative in Accra provides for
development of five routes, four comprised of radial routes originate at
proposed Sky Train Terminal, newly developed Kwame Nkrumah Circle, one route
provides and intra-city commuter loop distribution service emanating from
Circle, envisages total track length across all routes of 194 kilometres and
expected to ease increasing road traffic congestion and boost economic activities.
“The people have done their work, pre-feasibility,
we are not paying for feasibility or pre-feasibility, we are supporting them, if
they want access, we write to Metropolitan Chief Executive of Accra and
Minister of Roads and Highways to have access, if they think it can’t be done,
the president of Africa Development Bank, will not come and sign it.
“We have signed concession agreement but doesn’t
mean if we are given a deal we can’t explain to the citizenry, figures, term
and technology must be right and safe,
placing
project on ground means the government will pay lots of compensation to individuals
in order to get the train to where people and traffic are.
“Beauty of trains must go where passengers are,
where traffic is, and also on ground, you pay too much compensation and not be
able to go to certain places because people will not allow you to take over
their property. The option was to elevate train and put on pillars,” Mr Ghartey
intimated. -citinewsroom.com
