The construction of the Takoradi to Paga railway, connecting the Eastern and Western corridors, will be initiated this year to open up the country President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has disclosed.

Mr Akufo-Addo revealed this when he delivered the State of the Nation address to parliament on Tuesday, 21 February.

Successive governments have made attempts to revamp the rail sector to facilitate movement of goods and passengers in a more rapid manner.

It is recalled that former President John Dramani Mahama before leaving office commissioned the reconstructed Western railway lines which consisted of the development of a five-kilometre single lane from Kojokrom to Sekondi and a 10-kilometre lane from Kojokrom to Takoradi in November 2016.

The NDC in 2010 began the construction of the rail line from Asopotsonaa to the Tema Harbour and in 2013, the line was further extended to Community One in Tema to provide a continuous rail transport from Accra to Tema.

Other rail lines Mr Akufo-Addo’s government is expected to reconstruct include the Tema-Akosombo railway, the Eastern railway line from Tema to Kumasi via Boankra Inland Port, sub-urban railway lines between Accra-Amasaman-Nsawam and Kumasi-Ejisu.