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JRC close to resuming the passenger rail service
Officials of the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC) gave the clearest indication on Saturday afternoon surrounding Government's plans for the restart of passenger rail service.
JRC officials are hoping to have the trains rolling again before February 2011.
JRC Chairman Barry Bonitto says the restart of the service is in line with Transport Minister Mike Henry's plan for the creation of a mulit-modal transportation system for Jamaica, with links from sea to air to land.
“One of our plans at the railway is to continue that programme so we can now look at restarting the railway system for passengers, not only from Kingston to Spanish Town to Montego Bay and our plan now is to restart that programme shortly and we are looking at a very soon start up time…within the next year,” he said.
Mr. Bonitto confirmed that JRC crews have begun track repairs ahead of the planned late January startup.
The most recent track repair exercise was undertaken at Duck Pond, Manchester, and coincided with a rail tour from Williamsfield to Appleton by a senior JRC management team.
In the meantime, Mr. Bonitto says the JRC has identified a startup route, and that programme is now underway to relocate persons squatting near to the rail lines.
“We are very far advanced the starting of a passenger service for the railway, especially from Spanish Town to Linstead. Once that gets going we’ll now look at Spanish Town to May Pen to Williamsfield. We have already started to go out and meet with some of these persons who are squatting and utilizing railway land and we are working with them to find other locations for them so that we won’t have a problem,” Mr. Bonitto said.
An Economic Impact Assessment study of Jamaica's rail service was undertaken by British engineering consultancy firm, Halcrow Group last year.
The study concluded that rehabilitation of Jamaica's rail service is feasible.
Transport Minister Mike Henry said this conclusion, supports previous JRC-commissioned studies, undertaken by entities such as China CAMC Engineering Company in 2006, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers in 2008.
Officials of the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC) gave the clearest indication on Saturday afternoon surrounding Government's plans for the restart of passenger rail service.
JRC officials are hoping to have the trains rolling again before February 2011.
JRC Chairman Barry Bonitto says the restart of the service is in line with Transport Minister Mike Henry's plan for the creation of a mulit-modal transportation system for Jamaica, with links from sea to air to land.
“One of our plans at the railway is to continue that programme so we can now look at restarting the railway system for passengers, not only from Kingston to Spanish Town to Montego Bay and our plan now is to restart that programme shortly and we are looking at a very soon start up time…within the next year,” he said.
Mr. Bonitto confirmed that JRC crews have begun track repairs ahead of the planned late January startup.
The most recent track repair exercise was undertaken at Duck Pond, Manchester, and coincided with a rail tour from Williamsfield to Appleton by a senior JRC management team.
In the meantime, Mr. Bonitto says the JRC has identified a startup route, and that programme is now underway to relocate persons squatting near to the rail lines.
“We are very far advanced the starting of a passenger service for the railway, especially from Spanish Town to Linstead. Once that gets going we’ll now look at Spanish Town to May Pen to Williamsfield. We have already started to go out and meet with some of these persons who are squatting and utilizing railway land and we are working with them to find other locations for them so that we won’t have a problem,” Mr. Bonitto said.
An Economic Impact Assessment study of Jamaica's rail service was undertaken by British engineering consultancy firm, Halcrow Group last year.
The study concluded that rehabilitation of Jamaica's rail service is feasible.
Transport Minister Mike Henry said this conclusion, supports previous JRC-commissioned studies, undertaken by entities such as China CAMC Engineering Company in 2006, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers in 2008.
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