Last week was one of my saddest in a long time. Normally, I am an all-round cheerful person. It is hard for anything to run me down and put me in a foul mood. But the week past found me truly sad.
My sadness arose out of the incident involving one of our new trains, and an abandoned truck. When I heard of the incident, I asked myself; now, what are the odds of such a thing happening, on any day?
But it happened. What are the facts?
In an effort to revive our train system, the government a couple of years ago ordered a number of trains from Holland. They were delivered to Ghana early this year, and assembled. Last week, one of them was sent for testing on the spanking new rail lines. Incidentally, that was the same day that a truck had been abandoned on the specific line on which the test was to be done, with the consequence that the train, which was travelling at high speed, crashed into it.
Many questions started flooding my mind when I heard about the accident. And I asked myself what could have gone wrong for the nation to experience such a great embarrassment, which, surely, would have seen reportage, even on the international scene.
The first question I asked myself, is about the construction of the railway tracks, and whether the construction was designed in a way that took into consideration the needs, wants and uses of the communities through which the line would traverse.
The fact of the matter, is that the new rail track should necessarily have crossings, stations, under-bridges and many such facilities that would network it with the towns, roads, businesses and others through and by which it would traverse. For instance, there should be stations in the towns it would pass, so that passengers, foodstuff, businesses and other needs can assess the train, and get off the trains.
There should be level crossings and under-bridges where vehicles can cross safely, with necessary traffic signals.
Again, we live in a nation where we have decided that we would allow animals to roam free in the environment. The question is; did we take this factor into account in constructing the rail line?
Again, I asked myself why the excuse is being made, that an under bridge was too low to accommodate a truck. I have seen pictures of the under bridge, and I believe that the complaint has merit. I have also experienced many under bridges in Ghana, and they mostly seem to be constructed on the principle that they can only accommodate one vehicle at a time, and that such vehicles must necessarily be only saloon cars.
I have also asked myself whether the vehicle that was stuck on the track, was road worthy. In Ghana, thousands of vehicles are plying our roads, approved by the Driver, Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) as road worthy, but which would not pass muster. I believe that on the day, if that vehicle had been road worthy, this incident would have been avoided. Maybe the incident would remind us that the DVLA should be worth more than just a machinery to take more money from the public.
We should also ask the Railways Ministry about the level of engagement it held with local communities. The new tracks are in particular catchment areas, where people live. This machine was travelling at a whopping 120 kilometers an hour. It took several moments for it to come to a stop, even after it had crashed into a whole truck! The force of impact was so strong, that it tore the truck into numerous pieces, identifiable and unidentifiable. By all means, this is a machine that has some dangerous aspects to it. I think that simple logic should have informed the Railway Ministry and the Ghana Railway Authority on the need to engage in extensive sensitization and education of the communities through which the test would be done. I have heard the owner of the truck, for instance, say that they were unaware that a train would be passing by that day. Of course, that is what one would expect, when no or very little attempt has been made to sensitize the local community.
I believe, that the Ministry has a budget for publicity and education. Ghana has a Ministry of Education. We also happen to have a National Commission for Civic Education. If we are going to have trains with that speed and power whizzing through our towns and cities, then now is the time to engage in mass education.
Let us co-opt our newspapers, radio and television stations to assist in this task.
Another question that has plagued my
RECOMMENDATIONS
Like many others, I have seen the video of the accident, and in spite of the accident, I believe that we should pursue the train project with all the force and will at our command. At the time of the accident, the new train was travelling at a whopping speed of 120 kilometers an hour. The distance from Accra to Tamale, for instance, is 627 kilometers. By road, without stops, that would constitute about 11 hours of travelling. Add necessary stops for resting and refreshment, and one can spend over twelve hours on the road. With a train like what is in the video, such a journey should take just about five and a half hours. Even allowing for stops on the way to let off and take on passengers, it should not be longer than eight hours. And it would come with the comfort of being able to stand, walk, and refresh one’s self and many other amenities.
All of us should commit ourselves to this project with all that is within us to contribute to this wonderful vision.
