There is great hope for the resumption of a rail service soon in St Catherine, to meet the transportation needs primarily of students.
Minister of Transport and Mining Robert Montague, in reporting Government’s renewed interest in a rail service between Old Harbour and Linstead, via Spanish Town, promised that the system would be “moving to create a safe and orderly system to take our children to and from school”.
He told the House of Representatives on Wednesday that the Jamaica Railway Corporation’s (JRC) workshop in Kingston has been restored, and a solar light project there has been completed, in order to restart the school train service from between the three St Catherine communities.
“We are working with the Jamaica Heritage Trust to restore our station houses, especially the Old Harbour Station,” he said in the Sectoral debate in Parliament on Wednesday.
“In partnership with the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) and the Ministry of Education, we are hoping to move our children from Old Harbour and Linstead into Spanish Town by train. Then the JUTC will pick up and drop them off at the various schools in Spanish Town,” he said.
“In the afternoon the reverse will take effect. Along with the students, teachers, parents, health care and other essential workers will be prioritised for this service at first. Last Thursday, the train went to Linstead on a test run. This is not talk, this is a clear demonstration of the will of this Government to build back stronger,” the minister said.
A revived rail system for the island, mainly in these very areas, has been on the horizon for years. Former Transport Minister Mike Henry insisted that it would have played an important role in his multi-modal transport system. Now his successor, Montague, says he is determined to get it started and expanded to include the city of Kingston.
