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Factors causing low demand for a suburban passenger train in Sekondi-Takoradi

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  • Alimo, Philip Kofi
  • Agyeman, Stephen
  • Zankawah, Sanusi Mumuni
  • Yu, Chunhui
  • Cheng, Lin
  • Ma, Wanjing

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a renaissance in urban railway transit supply in Ghana with a railway masterplan seeking to increase the rail network from 947 to 4007.6 km. However, some passenger trains are beginning to face demand downturns, which require empirical investigation. Research on railway operation and passenger demand in Africa is scarce. This paper fills this gap by investigating the causes of declining ridership for the 25 km rehabilitated Sekondi-Takoradi sub-urban train service in Ghana, West Africa. The authors employed a cross-sectional survey of 600 residents in 14 communities within Sekondi-Takoradi and fitted an ordered logit regression model. From the results, the causes of declining ridership are the train's route location, easy access to alternative modes, the pricing system, and the limited supply of only two OD trips per day (operating ≤ 50% of capacity). We recommend a dynamic pricing mechanism, shuttle service, and passenger incentives for increased ridership.

Suggested Citation

  • Alimo, Philip Kofi & Agyeman, Stephen & Zankawah, Sanusi Mumuni & Yu, Chunhui & Cheng, Lin & Ma, Wanjing, 2022. "Factors causing low demand for a suburban passenger train in Sekondi-Takoradi," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:98:y:2022:i:c:s0966692321003215
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103268
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