A train that Ghana recently acquired from Poland collided with a truck during a test run in the eastern region, authorities say.
It rammed the abandoned vehicle which was on the tracks of the Tema-Mpakadan railway line on Thursday, causing minor damage to the train’s cabin, the railway ministry said.
The engineer, railway inspectors and passengers were unharmed.
Police say they have arrested the driver of the abandoned truck.
No one was in the truck when it was struck and the location where the truck was left was not designated as a permitted level crossing, the Ministry of Rail Development said in a statement.
“Despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before colliding with the vehicle,” the report said.
Minister of Railways John Peter Amewu described the incident on Facebook as “unfortunate, irresponsible and unpatriotic!”
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspected driver left the truck unattended on the railway line, leading to a collision with the train, Ghana Police said in a brief statement.
Authorities said investigations into the incident would continue and assured the safe operation of the railway system.
Ghana purchased two diesel-powered trains from Poland to strengthen its rail transport system.
The first new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train arrived in the country two weeks ago and was destined for use on the new 100km Tema-Mpakadan line.
The second will be shipped in May and is expected to arrive in August, Yaw Osuwu, head of the railway agency, told local media.
The first train with twelve modern passenger carriages carried out a test run on the line, a new route aimed at improving public transport services that connect Ghana’s Eastern Corridor.
The line is part of a planned 1,000 km project that is expected to connect Ghana and Burkina Faso via the Port of Tema, local media reported.
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