Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

**barosa** · 05-02-2005, 06:12 PM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

MORE THAN a decade after the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC) ceased operations to brake galloping losses, the defunct company is still haemorrhaging millions of dollars annually and is currently hauling a half-billion-dollar debt.

Financial statements acquired under the Access to Information Act indicate that if the Government does not attract a serious investor soon, the ageing rail company, with an estimated $3 billion asset base, may continue on a track to nowhere.

I am afraid this will become the most damaging legacy of the Manley and PNP Administrations in Jamaica... Rusting rolling stock and the eventual eyesore for all to see, will be a sad reminder to Jamaicans... There is no where for the physical evidence to hide. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Does anyone know if passenger or freight trains still operate in Castro's Cuba?.

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The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past, he is a parent of the future. : Herbert Spencer

**Guest** · 05-04-2005, 11:30 AM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

Apparently trains do still run in Cuba. A friend of mine spent a couple of weeks there and travelled by rail.

**barosa** · 05-04-2005, 02:11 PM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

Originally posted by BlackStar:

Apparently trains do still run in Cuba. A friend of mine spent a couple of weeks there and travelled by rail.

Isn't it ironic that Cuba, a supposedly poor wretched communist third world country has a rail system in operation, but Jamaica, a bastion of Capitalism and Free Enterprise in the region, has no such system???... We should all hang our heads in SHAME.

As I said above, this fact alone will dwarf all others to become the most damaging LEGACY of Michael and the PNP... Daddy Norman must have turned a few times in the grave.

Why could they not have preserved the passenger diesel service from Kingston to Montego Bay??. With tourism in mind, they could have have reversed the trip and make it Montego Bay to Kingston. But sad to say, Michael was no friend of the "Tourism Business" he nationalised the bejeezas out of them and wanted them to eat JAMAICAN, i.e. like Banana and Mackerel etc, etc, some folks were telling me! (BOAL) [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

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In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

**Tuff Gong** · 09-27-2006, 01:37 PM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

China wants Jamaica to decide on rail deal before year-end
Chinese Ambassador says trains would start rolling in less than 20 months

LUKE DOUGLAS, Observer writer
Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Zhenyu. if Cabinet's decision is favourable, the project can start early next year
THE Chinese government would have Jamaicans rushing in and out of train stations on the tiny island in less than two years, if only it could get the Jamaican government to sign off on a deal to get the trains rolling there again.

Work on the long-waited rehabilitation of the railroad would commence early next year if the Jamaican Cabinet votes in favour of the project, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Zhenyu told the Observer.

"A Chinese technical team has indicated that the project can be finished within 20 months from the day of commencement", he explained.

Ambassador Zhenyu, whose term of duty in Jamaica ends in a few days, said the project would be completed in two phases; the first section from Kingston to Spanish Town would take 12 months, while the rest of the railroad to Montego Bay would take another eight months. "The first section can be put into operation while the second section is being built", the ambassador said.

He said the Cabinet had already begun to review the project, but had two main concerns: the ability of the government to repay a proposed loan from the Chinese government to help finance the project, and whether Jamaica had the expertise to maintain the railway.

An Observer file photo of a Jamaica Railway Corporation Track.

Ambassador Zhenyu told the Observer that he hoped the Cabinet would make a decision on the project before the year ends.

"If the decision of Cabinet is favourable, the project can start early next year", he said.

Commenting on possible objection to the project by the operators of Highway 2000 - the toll road that stretches between Kingston and Clarendon - the ambassador said there was enough traffic in Jamaica for both to be viable.

"People should be given the choice of the highway and railway. Some people don't like to drive long distances and some people don't have cars. For ordinary Jamaicans, it would be cheaper to travel by railroad, and it would be good for tourism, as tourists could travel by rail between your political capital city and your tourism capital city", said Zhenyu.

In addition, he suggested that containers from the ports of Kingston and Montego Bay as well as agricultural produce, could be transported by railroad in order to keep down costs.
The response to the project from most Jamaicans has been favourable, the ambassador said.

"I think many Jamaicans are crazy about this project", he quipped.

The ambassador also noted that not many countries around the world were still building railways, but that China was an exception.

"We (the Chinese) recently built and opened to traffic a railway from China to Tibet, where they came across very difficult terrain, but we managed to do it very well. I'm sure the Jamaican terrain is not as difficult", he said.

The Chinese first committed to the rehabilitation of the railway in February 2005 when a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with the government.
Since then there have been several visits and meetings from the parties involved in the project slated to cost US$300 million.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html...RE_YEAR_END.asp

See also:

Railway burdened - Highway agreement to cost taxpayers

http://www.jamaicans.com/forums/showflat...ue#Post19644587

Too late, Joshie. JA dun sell off

http://www.jamaicans.com/forums/showflat...ue#Post19660188

**Dyoll_73** · 09-27-2006, 11:51 PM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

Yes, I saw that story this morning in the Gleaner - the one about the chinese building a rail system. It would be good to have a rail system connecting the major towns across the island. Easy movement of people and goods, reduction in automobile use, and good for tourism. No need to have Air Jamaica Express(AJE) cris-crossing the island with those small planes. BTW, does AJE still operate?

**Tuff Gong** · 09-28-2006, 12:23 AM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

Well the real question is how will they compensate the Toll Roads Operators if they go through with this?

**Yuriatin** · 09-28-2006, 12:24 AM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

No - AJE, outta business.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/h...ICA_EXPRESS.asp

**Tuff Gong** · 09-28-2006, 12:35 AM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

[ QUOTE ]
No - AJE, outta business.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/h...ICA_EXPRESS.asp

[/ QUOTE ]

Air Jamaica itself needs to go on a serious diet or just cut off from the public purse.

**Yuriatin** · 09-28-2006, 12:43 AM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

Tuff - I think, for better or for worse, AJ will indeed go under at some point ... but I think this thing is going to get so, Soooo ugly, it's going to be a horrific hell while it spins out of control.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No - AJE, outta business.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/h...ICA_EXPRESS.asp

[/ QUOTE ]

Air Jamaica itself needs to go on a serious diet or just cut off from the public purse.

[/ QUOTE ]

**Tuff Gong** · 09-28-2006, 01:30 AM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

[ QUOTE ]
Tuff - I think, for better or for worse, AJ will indeed go under at some point ... but I think this thing is going to get so, Soooo ugly, it's going to be a horrific hell while it spins out of control.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No - AJE, outta business.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/h...ICA_EXPRESS.asp

[/ QUOTE ]

Air Jamaica itself needs to go on a serious diet or just cut off from the public purse.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

I am afraid you are right, this is in the nature of things on the rock.

**Dyoll_73** · 09-28-2006, 01:45 AM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

[ QUOTE ]

Well the real question is how will they compensate the Toll Roads Operators if they go through with this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep. It will definitely undercut the revenues going to the toll operators. A government with real balls would go ahead anyway, knowing that a comprehensive rail system would better serve Jamaica's developmental needs. But will they? Did they sign some aggreement guaranteeing those toll operators certain revenues? If they did, then once again, Jamaica got screwed.

**Tuff Gong** · 09-28-2006, 10:42 AM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

[ QUOTE ]
Did they sign some aggreement guaranteeing those toll operators certain revenues? If they did, then once again, Jamaica got screwed.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep check out these links for previous treatment of the matter:

Railway burdened - Highway agreement to cost taxpayers

http://www.jamaicans.com/forums/showflat...ue#Post19644587

Too late, Joshie. JA dun sell off

http://www.jamaicans.com/forums/showflat...ue#Post19660188

[/ QUOTE ]

**Yuriatin** · 09-28-2006, 12:54 PM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

Now, now Tuff ... isn't that a bit of an overstatement! (0:

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Tuff - I think, for better or for worse, AJ will indeed go under at some point ... but I think this thing is going to get so, Soooo ugly, it's going to be a horrific hell while it spins out of control.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No - AJE, outta business.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/h...ICA_EXPRESS.asp

[/ QUOTE ]

Air Jamaica itself needs to go on a serious diet or just cut off from the public purse.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

I am afraid you are right, this is in the nature of things on the rock.

[/ QUOTE ]

**Tuff Gong** · 09-28-2006, 01:08 PM

Re: Train to nowhere? Defunct JRC bleeds millions

[ QUOTE ]
Now, now Tuff ... isn't that a bit of an overstatement! (0:

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Tuff - I think, for better or for worse, AJ will indeed go under at some point ... but I think this thing is going to get so, Soooo ugly, it's going to be a horrific hell while it spins out of control.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No - AJE, outta business.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/h...ICA_EXPRESS.asp

[/ QUOTE ]

Air Jamaica itself needs to go on a serious diet or just cut off from the public purse.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

I am afraid you are right, this is in the nature of things on the rock.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

No!
On the contrary it is an understatement.