KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica is to reintroduce, within the next three months, measures to transport the commercial movement of industrial minerals and aggregates by rail.
The resumption of the rail service follows an agreement formalized between the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC) and the Mineral Agency for Retail and Logistics (MARL). This is the first time the service will be reintroduced since 1992.
The 15-year contract is estimated at J$33 million (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) for the first year.
Under the agreement, MARL gets the right to lease land for loading and unloading cargo while having the trains transport aggregates from Old Harbour to Linstead and from Bog Walk to Port Esquivel for shipment to other Caribbean islands.
Industrial minerals, such as limestone, sand, and gravel, are essential for constructing homes, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects.
This alternative transportation modality is expected to reduce vehicular congestion, especially in urban areas, and ease the environmental effects of quarry material, such as dust nuisance and falling aggregates.
Transport and Mining Minister, Audley Shaw, said to maximize productivity and economic activity, “people and goods must be able to move efficiently.
“The impact of the re-implementation of railway service is a multi-sectoral [and] multidimensional need that will not only solve the problem of vehicular congestion, but it will also provide an economic inflow, boosting the tourism product of the country.”
Shaw said that with the current owner of 335 kilometers of railway tracks across the island by the JRC, the government would continue to explore “different avenues and investment opportunities to actualize the goal of re-establishing rail service there.”
JRC chairman, Ryan Parkes, said the agreement falls under “broader strategic objectives of the JRC for the next three to five years.
“We believe that the movement of freight, especially when you look at the various export opportunities, is going to be an essential ingredient towards Jamaica realizing greater economic growth and development,” Parkes said.
MARL chief executive officer, Rockey Wood, said that truck drivers were consulted before signing the agreement, as they will travel shorter distances to deliver the aggregates.
“The longer [distances] are negatively impacting their bottom line. They’re not making as much profit carrying the material for over five hours. We’ll give them shorter journeys so that they can have more trips. They will become more profitable [and have] less wear and tear of their machines,” he noted.
Wood said the company projects a “20 percent less than the current [transportation] cost,” using a combination of road, rail, and marine transportation systems to move approximately 5,000 tonnes of aggregates in a shorter period.
“Our solution is geared at alleviating the difficulties faced by our transportation and core industries while providing a consistent supply of raw materials for the construction and other secondary industries at significantly lower cost,” he said.
Railway services were first introduced in Jamaica in 1845 and continue to be spearheaded by the JRC under the Ministry of Transport and Mining.
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