–President Ali says feasibility of reintroducing trains will be examined in a few years
IN an effort to ease the traffic woes faced by commuters on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and East Bank of Demerara (EBD), President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali revealed last Friday that once the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) secures a second term, the government will take a look at the viability of bringing back the railways.
Complaints of traffic congestion along the EBD and ECD corridors are in the public domain, and owing to this, the government has already started constructing critical infrastructure in order to curb this issue.
All of the major road works being done in and around communities along the East Bank of Demerara are nearing completion.
Similarly, it is no secret that the ECD is witnessing a number of infrastructural projects too, such as the four-lane road expansion, and with massive economic investments, there will be a need for more transportation to carry goods and persons back and forth, in a timely manner.
One initiative along the ECD that will drive development and increase production is the industrial estate at Enmore.
According to President Ali, this will create thousands of jobs for residents, and this is just one example of how Guyana’s economy is progressing at an “unbelievably” rapid pace.
Addressing the plans earmarked for Enmore, the Head of State said: “This area here on the East Coast, encompassing Enmore and Paradise and the surrounding communities will be drastically transformed.”
He went on to say: “Definitely in the next term of office for the People’s Progressive Party, we will be looking at the train to see the viability of having a train along the East Bank, East Coast.”
At one point in time Guyana had two public railways: the Demerara-Berbice railway and the Demerara-Essequibo railway, which are no longer functional.
From Georgetown, the capital and largest port of Demerara to Rosignol, in Berbice, the Demerara-Berbice railway stretched for 97.4 kilometres along the coast. From there, it was connected to New Amsterdam by a ferry across the Berbice River.
The Demerara-Essequibo railway, Guyana’s second railway, operated for 29.8 kilometres along the West Coast of Demerara from Vreed-en-Hoop on the Demerara River’s left bank to Parika on the Essequibo River. It had a three-foot, six-inch gauge.
