The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has mounted a detailed challenge to the Mahama administration over its recent acquisition of two diesel locomotives and twenty freight wagons, questioning whether the country is investing in ageing railway equipment that could become costly to maintain while demanding full transparency on the procurement.
The party’s Transport Sector Committee says it supports every genuine effort to revive Ghana’s railway sector and improve freight movement, but argues that government has not provided enough information for Ghanaians to determine whether the acquisition represents value for money and long term sustainability.
The concerns come barely days after the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) announced the arrival of the two locomotives and twenty freight wagons. Government described the acquisition as a major boost to freight transport and said the rolling stock would support cargo operations, improve logistics efficiency and strengthen the country’s railway network. The equipment is expected to operate along the Tema to Mpakadan railway corridor after technical commissioning and operational assessments.
However, in a policy statement issued by its Transport Sector Committee, the NPP argued that the announcement left out critical technical and financial details needed for an objective assessment of the investment.
According to the committee, information available to it suggests the locomotives are refurbished British Rail Class 56 diesel electric locomotives that were originally manufactured in the United Kingdom between 1976 and 1983 and previously operated by Colas Rail.
While acknowledging that refurbished locomotives can continue to provide useful service when properly maintained, the committee insisted that age alone is not the only concern. Rather, it said the public deserves full disclosure on the locomotives’ operational history, the extent of refurbishment undertaken, their expected remaining service life, lifecycle costs and the total amount paid for the acquisition.
The statement noted that the British Rail Class 56 locomotives were built more than four decades ago for heavy freight operations. Although they earned a reputation as powerful freight engines during their time, the NPP argued that they belong to an earlier generation of railway technology that generally requires more intensive maintenance and carries higher operating costs than newer freight locomotives.
“The critical question is not simply whether locomotives have arrived, but whether they represent the most sustainable and cost effective solution for Ghana’s railway sector over the long term,” the committee stated.
Beyond the age of the locomotives, the opposition party also questioned government’s long term maintenance strategy.
The committee warned that much of the British Rail Class 56 fleet has already been withdrawn from mainstream operations in several parts of the world, raising concerns about future availability of spare parts and specialist technical support.
It therefore called on government to disclose whether long term spare parts agreements have been secured, whether strategic inventories of critical components have been acquired, what maintenance partnerships exist with refurbishment specialists and what training programmes have been put in place to build the capacity of Ghanaian railway engineers.
According to the NPP, Ghana’s railway sector has limited experience maintaining this particular class of locomotive, making technology transfer and specialised training essential if the investment is to remain viable.
The committee also drew comparisons with the previous Akufo Addo administration’s procurement of Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains from Poland’s PESA. It argued that those trains were supplied as newly manufactured rolling stock and were accompanied by a structured five year maintenance framework designed to ensure operational reliability while transferring technical knowledge to Ghanaian personnel.
The opposition maintained that successful railway investment goes beyond purchasing locomotives and wagons. It argued that maintenance support, technical training, spare parts availability and technology transfer are equally important if public investments are to deliver lasting value.
Questions were also raised about the readiness of the Tema to Mpakadan railway corridor to support sustained commercial freight operations.
According to the committee, locomotives alone cannot guarantee a successful freight business without the supporting logistics infrastructure needed to move cargo efficiently between the railway and Volta Lake transport services.
It questioned whether essential cargo handling equipment such as mobile harbour cranes, reach stackers, container handling systems and bulk cargo loading facilities are fully available and operational at the Mpakadan railhead.
The committee further challenged government to disclose whether feasibility studies had established sufficient cargo demand to justify the investment, whether haulage agreements have been signed with major customers and whether projected revenues are adequate to sustain operations over the long term.
It also questioned how freight operations would be fully operationalised following the closure of the Ghana Railway Company Limited.
The NPP further argued that the latest acquisition appears difficult to reconcile with the National Democratic Congress’ broader campaign promises to accelerate railway expansion, particularly projects linked to the Western Railway Line for the transportation of manganese, bauxite and other bulk commodities.
According to the committee, while government announced an allocation of about GH¢70 million for the railway sector in the 2026 national budget, the amount appears insufficient to deliver the scale of railway expansion promised during the election campaign.
The committee therefore urged the Mahama administration to publish the full procurement details, maintenance framework, technical support agreements and commercial plans associated with the locomotives to assure Ghanaians that the acquisition represents a sound investment rather than a short term political announcement.
The concerns have already generated national debate. While the NPP insists transparency is essential before taxpayers can judge the value of the investment, the Ministry of Transport has rejected claims that the locomotives are obsolete. It says the Class 56 locomotives underwent extensive refurbishment in the United Kingdom, come with a five year warranty, are backed by spare parts arrangements and technical training, and are expected to provide at least another fifteen years of productive service under proper maintenance. The Ministry has also defended the acquisition cost and maintained that the Tema to Mpakadan freight project is supported by feasibility studies and planned commercial agreements.
