The Ministry of Ports, Harbours and Railways has extended the invitation period for companies interested in bidding for the construction of new railway lines within the Accra-Tema-Kasoa corridor from April to the end of June this year.This is to allow for more companies to notify the ministry about their intention to participate in the bidding process, which opens late in the year.

The sector minister, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, disclosed this in an interview in Accra on Monday, shortly after the final bidding exercise to select a company to operate and maintain the existing railway lines in the country. He said since the invitation for interested companies to bid was opened early this year, only two companies had come forward.

Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi said the cost and work involved were enormous and would require many companies to bid, so that the best could be selected. He mentioned the areas to be covered as Accra-Mallam-Kasoa, Accra-Dodowa, Accra-Dansoman-Kasoa, among others. He asked interested companies to take advantage of the extension of the date and make their intentions known before the deadline.

For the western corridor expansion project, he said the track routes would be from Awaso in the Western Region to Hamile in the Northern Region; Dunkwa in the Central Region to Sawla and Fufulsu, both in the Northern Region, and Nyinahin in the Western Region to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, adding that the total track line would be 340 kilometres.

He said the ministry was awaiting a $6 million loan from the Chinese government to conduct feasibility studies on the project before actual funding is sought from donors.

Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi said the government, in its quest to make as many rail tracks as possible available in the country, would explore all avenues to source for funds for the projects.