SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine — Even as many schools delayed resumption of face-to-face classes, the Jamaica Railway Corporation’s (JRC) much-trumpeted train service for St Catherine students did not begin rolling on the first Monday of the year as planned.

The transport ministry officially launched the Back on Track School Train Service on December 14, saying the cashless service would benefit some of the most vulnerable children, particularly those on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). On Monday when the Jamaica Observer visited the Spanish Town terminal, where trains were to arrive at 6:55 and 7:00 am, there was no sign of activity.

“I said in Parliament that we are going to reintroduce passenger trains because if we can use the lines for cargo, we can use it for people and today I am seeing the reality of that and I am proud,” Transport and Mining Minister Robert Montague had said at the December launch. He also reminded the gathering that when he first assumed responsibility for the portfolio in 2018, he had said that the JRC is a gem that needs to be polished.

On Monday, several calls to Montague’s phone went unanswered but a spokesperson from the ministry, Nyoka Linton, explained that there had been some delays and the launch was pushed back to Wednesday. She said there was to be a final meeting, before then, to see if all the challenges had been resolved. She declined a request for details on the challenges being faced.

The Back on Track initiative is a collaboration between the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), the JRC and the transport and education ministries. It is expected to transport 400 students from Old Harbour and Linstead to Spanish Town where they will then continue their journey on JUTC buses. At the launch last year, Education Minister Fayval Williams welcomed the service which, she said, would ease the high transportation costs facing students outside of Kingston and St Andrew.

The schools whose students will benefit from the service when it finally gets rolling include Jonathan Grant High, St Jago High, Jose Marti High, and St Catherine High.

— Xavier Allen