In what amounted to his final act as minister of transport and mining, Robert Montague on Monday (January 10) welcomed the School Train Service and urged parents to play their part in ensuring that children are on time to board the trains.

Speaking at the Spanish Town Train Station in St Catherine, where the first two trains arrived from Old Harbour and Linstead, the Montague said by mid-week it is expected that all students from the participating schools will be back for classes.

“We expect the parents to take the children to the various stations 15 minutes before departure time, so that they can be sanitised, they can swipe their cards and go through the boarding process, and get the safety message,” he said.

He added that due to protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Ministry of Health and Wellness has approved 400 students for the pilot project, and he is looking towards its expansion.

“We expect to increase the amount, and also I am proposing to the Cabinet that the Jamaica Rail be expanded for our 60th Anniversary, so on a phased basis, we hope to expand the service, so that it can become an alternative,” Montague said.

However, with Montague moving over to the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation after Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced a Cabinet reshuffle last night, it will left to new Transport and Mining Minister Audley Shaw to see the expansion through.

The School Train Service is a partnership among the Ministry of Transport and Mining; the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information; the Jamaica Railway Corporation; the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

The rail service will be operated in two segments of the existing network in St Catherine. It is expected to provide safe and cost-effective transport for school children who depend on the public transport system.

It seeks to move children from Old Harbour and Linstead into Spanish Town, then the JUTC buses will pick up and drop them off at the various schools in Spanish Town. In the afternoon the reverse will take place.