Western Railway Line, Ghana
{{Short description|Railway line from Takoradi to Kumasi}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox rail line
| status = Open
| start = Takoradi
| end = Kumasi
| connectinglines = Dunkwa to Awaso
| yearcommenced = 1898
| yearcompleted = 1903
| operator = Ghana Railway Company Limited
| gauge = narrow gauge
}}
The Western Railway Line is a narrow gauge single track railway line from Takoradi Port to Kumasi, with branch lines at Kojokrom, which leads to Sekondi and another at Dunkwa, which leads to Awaso.{{Cite web |title=Ministry of Railways Development - Ghana - takoradi kumasi (western) line |url=https://mrd.gov.gh/3/2/14/takoradi-kumasi-(western)-line |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=mrd.gov.gh}}
History
The Western Railway Line is the first railway line built in Ghana and was constructed in 1898 and completed in 1903.{{Cite journal |last1=Obeng |first1=Daniel Atuah |last2=Bessah |first2=Enoch |last3=Amponsah |first3=William |last4=Dzisi |first4=Emmanuel Komla |last5=Agyare |first5=Wilson Agyei |date=2022-06-01 |title=Ghana's railway transport services delivery: A review |journal=Transportation Engineering |volume=8 |pages=100111 |doi=10.1016/j.treng.2022.100111 |issn=2666-691X|doi-access=free }}{{Cite web |title=About us {{!}} Ghana Railway Company Limited |url=https://grcl.gov.gh/about.php |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=grcl.gov.gh}} Takoradi was chosen for the line instead of the Elmina due to the failure in negotiations with the owners of the castle. Also Takoradi was a shorter route to Tarkwa, which had just discovered gold.
It was not until in late 1895 that plans for the first locomotive railroad in the Gold Coast Colony germinated under the leadership of Joseph Chamberlain, who had made the development of Britain's tropical Crown colonies one of the cornerstones of his tenure as Secretary of State for the Colonies.
= Planning =
= Construction =
The western railway line was constructed over three phases.
== Phase One - Sekondi to Tarkwa ==
The first phase of construction began in 1898 from Sekondi to the gold-mining town of Tarkwa. Before the Sekondi-Kumase line was half completed numerous experts had pointed out basic flaws of design and construction.{{Cite journal |last=Durnett |first=Raymond E. |date=September 2006 |title=British imperial transport management: The Gold Coast Sekondi-Kumase railway, 1903-1911 |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.7227/TJTH.27.2.7 |journal=Journal of Transport History |volume=27 |issue=2 |pages=60–79|doi=10.7227/TJTH.27.2.7 |s2cid=153871053 }}