The railways of Jamaica were constructed from 1845, making it the second British colony to receive a railway system, following Canada in 1836 with the Champlain and St Lawrence Railroad.[1][2] Construction started only twenty years after the Stockton & Darlington Railway commenced operations in the United Kingdom.[3]
The public passenger railway service in Jamaica, which ended in October 1992,[3] had a brief revival in 2011 only to be closed once again in August 2012.[4] The Parliament of Jamaica had supported a revival under a public joint venture corporation with an offshore partner.[5] Private freight transport continues on limited tracks leading to the various docks around the island, transporting bauxite and sugar cane for export.
- ^ Jamaica Railway Stations Jamaica National Heritage Trust
- ^ Jamaica Economy - Transportation and Communications The Library of Congress Country Studies
- ^ a b Satchell, Veront M.; Sampson, Cezley (2003). "The rise and fall of railways in Jamaica, 1845-1975". Journal of Transport History. 24: 1–21. doi:10.7227/TJTH.24.1.2. ISSN 0022-5266. S2CID 154691362. Archived from the original on 2007-12-08.
- ^ "Railway Corporation to end passenger service". Jamaica Gleaner. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ^ No to any Government loan to restart railway service in Jamaica Archived 2008-08-03 at the Wayback Machine Jamaica Gleaner - May 26, 2006