The reduced fare on the Accra-Tema route is aimed at increasing patronage of the railway service, the Minister of Railways Development, Mr Joe Ghartey has said.

At a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Ghartey acknowledged that patronage of the train service has a room for improvement since the launch of the Accra-Tema service.

“Patronage I must confess could have been better. We’ve tasked the Railway Company to look at it…and even with the GH¢3 per person, they’ll look at it,” he said.

“They won’t look at it in terms of reducing but I agree with you that a flat rate has its own problems. And you must put in a system that allows people to pay different rates for different rides. It is work in progress,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mr Ghartey noted that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given approval for the Ministry to use $230 million to purchase rolling stocks in line with the master plan to revamp the railway sector.

The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to any vehicles that move on a railway, including both powered and unpowered vehicles, such as locomotives, railroad cars, coaches, and wagons.