Many years ago I attended a political meeting in the eastern end of the island. It was not a major affair since few party big wigs were scheduled to speak. The senior politician who was the featured speaker became extremely agitated when he noticed that members of the media were present. He was heard telling someone that he had nothing to announce. He was in anguish because he did not have an announcement to make that evening. Someone must have told the goodly gentleman that the best guarantee for making the headlines is via an announcement of sorts.
Several other politicians apparently got the same memo, for over the years I have grown accustomed to hearing politicians make a slew of announcements. For example, I have heard at least three grand announcements about Port Royal's redevelopment and none has come to fruition.
The resuscitation of the railway is another project which many politicians have forecast with no result. There is a rich and proud history behind this institution being the first railway to operate outside of Europe and the United States going back to the mid 19th century. It is a pride that has animated persons connected to the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC). Understandably, any politician who succeeds in getting it up and running again will reserve his/her place in history.
Timeline given
Current Minister of Transport, Mike Henry, has now put a timeline on the project to restart Jamaica's rail service for passengers and freight. One imagines that studies have been done to determine the demand for such a service in a changing world. Passenger railway service ceased to operate in 1992 and what was left of the JRC offered bauxite and cargo services only.
Most of the rolling stock of JRC is believed to be in a dilapidated state and the former stations have all fallen into decay. A staff of about 100 is maintained to manage the JRC's interests and properties and locomotives.
Railway systems are not universally favoured because they are expensive to operate given the ever spiralling price of oil on the international market. It is a fact that few railways make money and most are heavily subsidised. Can the Government afford to support investment in a plan that is grounded in sentiments? Can the minister convince Jamaicans that the investment necessary to get the trains rolling again will contribute to economic prosperity?
Then there is concern about the guarantees, if any, that may have been given to the operators of Highway 2000. These people have demonstrated that when it comes time for an increase they are not averse to Nicodemus-like strategies. So will the government be subject to penalties if it were to reintroduce passenger trains and starve Highway 2000 of revenue?
Security
The third concern is about security. One has to be aware of the times in which we live and that it may require a mass recruitment of transit security officers to ensure that passengers are safe. Well there are enough unemployed people to fill those slots. But we can't ignore that horror stories abound of trains being held up and patrons robbed.
The aim of any public transportation system should be to run an efficient service at the lowest cost to passengers and taxpayers. A national transport plan should address matters such as congestion and safety and promote clean air. Kingston is in need of a plan to eliminate choked roadways, especially at peak time. It makes no sense to open an expensive transport centre and not introduce rules to reduce the use of single-occupied cars in the core of the city. Singapore, for example, imposes a special congestion levy on the person riding solo in certain parts of the city.
Successive Jamaican governments have failed to transform public transportation into a profitable concern. What's more, public transportation has been the model of inefficiency, forcing many people to drive cars when it would be far more economical for them to hop on a bus. The JUTC and Air Jamaica have suffered huge economic losses and continue to be like the proverbial albatross about the people's neck. Are we about to add the railway?
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