Clock ticks down for Tarkwa railway station structures

That was the unmistakable message at a crowded town hall meeting this week, where residents and stakeholders gathered to engage directly with the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly on matters of governance. The meeting, part of the assembly's ongoing commitment to participatory democracy, quickly became a forum for one of the municipality's most pressing issues: the long-delayed bypass.

Before the assembly's leadership took the floor, the air was thick with anticipation. Traders, transport operators, and residents living along the old railway station through to Bogoso junction had come not only to listen but to hear their fate.

And the answer was firm.

For those whose livelihoods depend on that stretch, the message was delivered without ambiguity. None of the structures there — not a single container, not a single stall have permits or documented approval from the assembly. And that, the assembly made clear, is untenable.

"Before anyone erects a structure, even if it is a container, you need a permit from this assembly," the Municipal Chief Executive, Ebenezer Cobbinah, told the gathering. "If this does not happen, the assembly has the power to remove it."

The bypass, he explained, is not a luxury but a necessity. Years of traffic snarls in Tarkwa have made the case for an alternative route undeniable. The vision of a railway bypass was conceived early in the current administration, and since then, extensive engagements have taken place.

At one point, all those living and working along the old railway station were asked to vacate to make way for progress. A deadline was set: February 15, 2026.

That date has come and gone.

"The ultimatum is long overdue," Mr. Cobbinah said. "The assembly will soon crack the whip and remove all unauthorised structures from the old railway station and use it for its intended purpose."

Yet behind the stern words was a note of genuine appreciation. The MCE remarked that he was "happy with the enthusiasm people are using to ask about the bypass" a clear sign, he said, of just how important the road is to every resident of the municipality.

A Standoff with the Railway Company

The road to the bypass has not been smooth. The Ghana Railway Company in Tarkwa initially pushed back, notifying the assembly that it would not allow the project to proceed. Letters were exchanged. Positions hardened.

But through patient diplomacy  conversations that climbed all the way from Tarkwa to Accra. A resolution was reached.

"We engaged all the management of railways and explained our intention clearly," Mr. Cobbinah said. "We are not taking their land. We are not taking their property. We are doing something for the benefit of the municipality."

He pointed out the irony of the railway company's objection: "As we speak, people have encroached on lands at the old railway station. If management wanted to do something, they would have. But they have sat on the fence and watched people encroach."

Now, Accra is settled. The bypass, he confirmed, will soon be constructed.

The Bigger Picture: Inner Roads

But the bypass is only part of the story. The town hall meeting also brought into sharp focus what Mr. Cobbinah called the municipality's single greatest challenge: its inner roads.

"Recently engineers came from Takoradi and met with urban roads engineers," he said. Together with the regional team, they have documented and estimated every inner road project in Tarkwa Nsuaem.

Those documents and estimates have been sent to Accra. The Member of Parliament for Tarkwa, Issah Salifu Taylor, has personally raised the matter with the Roads and Highways Minister. The projects have now been phased.

"Very soon, we will see contractors working on inner roads in this municipality," Mr. Cobbinah promised.

He was careful not to overpromise. "Probably we cannot finish all the inner roads in four years," he admitted. "But we will work on most of them."

As the town hall meeting drew to a close, the assembly issued a final call to the public. When the time comes to clear the railway station corridor, Mr. Cobbinah said, "we will entreat all to join the assembly to execute it."

Nana Esi Brew Monney