According to Mr. Yaw Owusu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Railways Development Authority, the manufacturer of the newly imported train, Pesa Corporation, will bear the cost of repairs to the damaged parts.
The Ministry of Railways Development, in a statement dated Thursday, April 18, confirmed the collision of the new DMU train with a stationary vehicle on the Tema Railway line during a site acceptance test.
Speaking on the accident on TV3 News 360, Mr. Owusu stressed that the train had been taken to the station for an assessment of the damage, adding that “the extent of the damage is yet to be determined.”
“The cost of the repairs will be borne by the manufacturer,” he stated, stressing that the train has not been formally handed over to the government of Ghana.
“And I believe they have insurance to cover extra damages,” he added.
“The train has officially not been handed over to the government yet and it’s still under the liability of the manufacturer. We are yet to ascertain what happened and how best we can go about it to ensure that this incident doesn’t happen again in the future.”
READ ALSO: Railways Ministry confirms new train collision while on test at Tema Railway line
Responding to whether there is local expertise to fix the train or it would be required to be transported back to the manufacturer, Mr. Yaw Owusu explained that “the train can be repaired here; the manufacturer has some personnel here on the ground as part of the site acceptance test so Pesa Corporation, who sold us the train, is still here.
“I believe that the trains can be repaired here. I don’t believe it’s a very expensive damage,” he said, adding, “I cannot confirm that but I believe it can be repaired in Ghana.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry’s statement indicated that although no injuries were recorded, the driver’s cab of the train experienced minor damage
“It is important to note that the vehicle was unnamed and the location where it was found is not designated as an authorised level crossing,” the statement said.
Find the full statement below:
