A quick look at Accra traffic reveals that congestion occurs in well-defined corridors: the Aburi-Medina-Acca corridor, the Achimota-Accra corridor, the Kasoa-Kaneshi-Accra corridor, and the Teshi-Nungua-Accra corridor. Another corridor that may be added is Spintex-Achimota-Abeka. May be others can be identified and added to this list. In all these corridors there is the need to move large volumes of passengers quickly and it is apparent that buses will not work and have not worked; tro-tros also will not work. A double-articulated light rail train operating at two minutes headways (i.e. two minutes apart) at the peak in a single corridor can move 9,000 passengers per hour (300 passengers per train x 30 trains) or close; a passenger volume which cannot be served by a platoon of buses or a bus rapid transit system. With that said there are many advantages in having a light rail system and it is the trend in the US now. This, however, does not mean we should ignore the roles which other modes of transportation could play. Instead, we should view the Accra transportation problem as a transportation planning problem and not as an engineering problem and clearly identify the role each transportation mode is to play. Therefore, I hope that those considering introducing a light rail transit will also consider the roles to be played by tro-tros, local buses, taxis, private cars and bicycles etc. A possible scenario for be considered is to use the local buses and tro-tros as feeders to the light rail system. A successful light rail system in Accra will certainly displace some tro-tro drivers who, by the nature of their business (ease of moving capital between corridors), can begin serving the outlying towns of Accra.

Aside from what I have said above, I must confess that I am concerned about the dollar amounts in the news clip you sent. While I have not checked the construction cost data lately, I am not sure the $30 billion amount is correct,it should be less. My reasons are: 1) land cost is very low in Ghana and the government can use the power of eminent domain to even get the land cheaper and 2) labor cost is also cheap in Ghana. The cost of a light-rail car should be at most $1.5 million (for those built in Japan) and I do not think it will cost $65 million per mile to build such a system, nor do I think each station will cost $10 million to construct. Those will be ridiculously high cost in the Ghanaian context. However, as usually is the case, electrical and signaling costs may be large. A possible cost reduction strategy is for the the government to consider using some of the roads in Accra as the right-of-ways for the light rail transit system. .

As regards a rail system between Accra and Kumasi it should cost far less than the amounts noted above since we are not dealing with a built environment. Again, the cost can be reduced by putting the rail system in the median of or next to the Accra-Kumasi road. Unlike transit, this rail system will serve a dual purpose; to transport passengers and move freight. On the passenger side, why don’t we consider some of the newer rail technologies out there, in particular MAGLEV (magnetic levitation technology). The Japanese are quite advanced on this and recently tested a train achieving speeds of more than 250 miles an hour. The Germans and the Chinese also have this technology although I must admit that the Germans exported their technology to China and were influential in China’s technology being successful. For the freight movement a proven technology is the use of diesel electric locomotives. In the US this latter technology is so well advanced that it is very fuel efficient. The CSX railroad boasts in an advertisement that it uses a gallon of diesel fuel to move a ton of freight 300 miles. A successful rail freight system will serve Ghana well by: reducing road construction and road maintenance costs, reducing road accident cost, creating an inland container port for moving and handling containers, generating employment, and reducing shipping cost.