Committee established to get tourist trains on track
Published:Saturday | April 8, 2023 | 12:47 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
The Government has established a Tourist Train Committee to provide oversight of the execution and management of the strategic engagement with a potential investor partner, who, one year ago, expressed an interest in reviving the service from Montego Bay to the Appleton Estate in St Elizabeth.
This was announced by Transport and Mining Minister Audley Shaw at the recent signing of a transportation agreement between the government and Mineral Agency for Retail and Logistics (MARL) for the use of rail line to transport minerals and aggregates.
“And I will tell you, it’s much more advanced because we actually have a formal proposal from an investor on board right now ... and we’re going to advertise,” Shaw added.
“We are currently exploring the viability of a development lease arrangement for a segment of the rail system, in particular, for the section from Montego Bay, St James, to St Elizabeth. This strategy involves putting plans in place to free the railway reservation of encumbrances, which predominantly [means] alleviating the problem of squatting on the rail reservations,” the minister said.
The Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC), the state agency which owns the 55-kilometre railway from Montego Bay to Appleton Estate, had previously indicated that it was seeking to attract investors to revive the railway tracks between St James and St Elizabeth.
Phase one of the project was expected to cost US$40.2 million and would see the rehabilitation of the lines, adjacent lands, buildings, and supporting infrastructure through the hills of south St James into northwestern St Elizabeth, then on to the northeastern plains of the Breadbasket Parish.
The second phase of the project would cover the Montego Bay to Montpelier leg, but a plan to evict squatters living along the old train track between these two points is facing strong resistance from the New Ramble residents, many of whom captured portions of the property and built homes after the Government halted the passenger rail service in 1992.
Removing those who encroach will see the tour culminating close to the Montego Bay Cruise Port, but no timeline has been determined because of the squatters’ refusal to accept property elsewhere, causing JRC to adjust the initial plan and start the tour from Montpelier.
Consideration is being given to re-routing the rail line to run alongside the to-be-constructed Long Hill bypass, but that was deemed too costly.
Shaw pointed out that a track-use agreement will be done by the JRC and any interest party wishing to use the lines.
“ ... The original concept was to basically to sell them – sell whoever that track – but we can’t sell the track,” Shaw said. “We have to have a track-use agreement because we want to reopen our Kingston to Montego Bay train service.”
The JRC owns 335 kilometres of railway tracks across the island, traversing eight of the 14 parishes. Additionally, there are over 40 railway stations dispersed throughout the island which still remain closed after 30 years.
Although Jamaica ended its passenger railway service 31 years ago, in recent years, a pilot initiative has been under way in St Catherine for students.
From the transportation agreement signed last month, MARL will, as of 90 days after signing, be able to transport aggregate from Old Harbour to Linstead and, on the return leg, transport marl from Bog Walk to Port Esquivel for shipment to other Caribbean islands.