Dip in the Collection.

For this dip into the collection, I’m following suit from the last installment by featuring another photograph from the 2018 calendar, Revisit Trinidad and Tobago – 1968: Fast Forward to 2018. That year’s theme looked at how the nation had evolved over 50 years, pairing archival newspaper articles from 1968 with contemporary images taken in 2018.

The photograph I’m highlighting here was originally featured in December of that calendar. It was paired with a newspaper article about Trinidad and Tobago’s last train ride—an archival gem I found while leafing through The Trinidad Guardian at the National Archives. I could only include a snippet of the article in the calendar, but below I’ve shared the full piece so you can read it for yourself.

Rereading the article now, I’m struck by the travel time listed: the train left Port of Spain and arrived in San Juan in just 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes! In today’s traffic, that kind of commute feels like fantasy. A train ride that quick during peak hours? Golden.

Every time I hear or read about life back then with the train and the tram, I wonder what life would be like now if we had even a basic train or tram system in place—one that connected the country from South to North, East to West. The ferry service between Port of Spain and South works relatively well and seems to be consistently used. I know we have the bus system in place, but I’m not sure what regular users think about its efficiency or how well it connects different areas.

A train could be a faster-paced option—one that avoids the traffic-ridden streets and gets there quickly. Maybe more people would choose that option. Of course, it would have to be more energy efficient and less harmful to the environment than the old ones. Solar-powered, perhaps?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this. What would life look like if we had fewer cars on the road and more means of reliable, safe public transport that was widely used? Let me know in the comments.

Full Article from the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian in 1968:

Las' lap today for the trains after 92 years

By EWART ROUSE

Within the next few hours travel by rail would be a thing of the past. The last train to San Juan leaves the Port-of-Spain railway terminus at 6:45 p.m. today. It arrives at San Juan at 7 p.m. and leaves on its return journey a few minutes later. It’s arrival back in Port-of-Spain at 7:15 p.m. marks the death of the near century-old rail service. (It began in 1876).

Death of the railway comes three days before close of the old year. But unlike the old year, no bells or sirens would ring it out.  No rockets would alight the sky, or wild parties thrown. Fact that the service dies with a whimper, is in itself symbolic.

Within recent years, no service has been more abused, physically and verbally, than the railway.

“Deficient-ridden”, “not economically viable,” “a drain on the economy,” “barren, bankrupt and archaic,” were some of the terms used to describe the service.

Physical abuse was perpetrated by vandals, and by the thousands who traveled daily without paying fares because of the shoddy ticket examination system in operation.

A plea for a stay of execution by the San Juan Businessmen’s Association is being denied as the last train gears for its eight-mile ride – then the final grind to a halt that would bring the curtain down.

An official of the Public Transport Service Corporation – which operates the service –yesterday pointed to the “unsafe” condition of the rail tracks as a key reason why the plea for retention of the service could not be entertained.

Building material

He said the trains traveled at a comparatively slow rate of speed, and as a result the danger of serious accident had been minimized. But the danger of trains “jumping”  the track was ever present.

Cost of rehabilitating the service and making it “safe” has been put at $590,000 –money which could be better utilized in providing a more efficient bus service.

“This is no time for tears.” the official said, pointing out that the additional buses which will be put on the road to augment the bus service should be sufficient to facilitate the last of the rail commuters –including school children.

With the scrapping of the service today, the tracks are expected to be ripped up shortly and put at St. Joseph ­–corporations main storage center.

The practice of inviting tenders both locally and internationally for purchase of the rolling stock is expected to be followed.

The tracks have been advertised as being good for building construction –the building of fences, homes, factories and other commercial projects.

$12m in red

It is understood that an arrangement has been worked out whereby the 332 workers who services would be rendered redundant with closure of the service would be paid their separation benefits on an installment basis. The majority of the workers have expressed the desire to receive benefits and be “separated” from the corporation.

The rail service, which has been reduced from 111 miles to 4 miles within a three-year phasing out period, has been $12.3 M in the red over the past four years.

In 1964, the service lost $3.6m; in 1965 $3.2m; in 1966 $2.7m; in 1967 $1.6m; and this year $1.2m.

The cabinet-appointed committee which examined the railway, with special reference to closure dismissed the possibility of the service ever becoming viable.