Trinidad Government Railway
{{Short description|Railway in Trinidad and Tobago}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
Image:Last train San Fernando Trinidad Harris Promenade.jpg
The Trinidad Government Railway existed between 1876 and 28 December 1968. Originally built to connect Port of Spain with Arima, the railway was extended to Couva in 1880, San Fernando in 1882, Cunapo (now Sangre Grande) in 1897, Tabaquite in 1898, Siparia in 1913 and Rio Claro in 1914.
Background
File:Railroad Map of Trinidad - 1925.png
The first attempt to establish a railway was a private affair in 1846 by the Trinidad Railway Company.{{cite web |url=http://ptsc.co.tt/about-us.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410075955/http://www.ptsc.co.tt/about-us.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-10 |title=History |publisher=Public Transport Service Corporation on |access-date=2013-10-20 }} Trinidad Railway Company's very first steam locomotive was the "Forerunner" which was built by Hunslet of Leeds and arrived in 1864.{{cite web|url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Real-story-of-Engine-D-285931141.html |title=Real story of Engine D |publisher=Trinidad Express Newspapers on |date=2014-11-16 |access-date=2017-09-26}}
Railway construction began in the 1870s. The Arima line was completed in 1876, followed by the San Fernando line in 1882. The railway to Princes Town was completed in 1884. These were followed by railway lines to Sangre Grande in 1897 and Cunupia-Tabaquite in 1898.{{Cite book|last=Brereton|first=Bridget|author-link=Bridget Brereton|title=Race Relations in Colonial Trinidad 1870–1900|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1979|location=Cambridge}}{{rp|14–15}}
Overview
At its greatest extent, the railway covered {{convert|173|km|mi|abbr=on}}.{{cite book | author=Anthony, Michael | title=Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago | publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Md., and London | year=2001 |isbn=0-8108-3173-2 | authorlink=Michael Anthony (author)}}
After the end of World War I, the appearance of automobiles led to changes that resulted in closure of the railway between April 1953 and 28 December 1968.
Statistics
File:Trinidad Government Railway Locomotive 21.jpg]]
The TGR operated about {{cvt|640|km|mi}} of {{RailGauge|1435mm|allk=on}} track.{{cite web|url=http://www.parovoz.com/spravka/gauges-en.php|title=Railroad Gauge Width|publisher=Parovoz.com|access-date=2010-01-12|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111071858/http://www.parovoz.com/spravka/gauges-en.php|archive-date=11 January 2013|url-status=dead}}
By the end of 1921 the company owned 37 steam locomotives, 105 coaches and 738 goods wagons.{{cite journal |date=1923-12-03 |title=The Trinidad Government Railway - Rolling Stock and Locomotives |journal= Commerce Reports |volume=IV |issue=49 |page=638 |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m2uhTVpN2RcC&pg=PA638 |access-date=September 19, 2022}} In 1931, a Sentinel-Cammell twin articulated steam railcar was acquired.{{cite journal |title=Locomotives of the Trinidad Government Rlys. |url= https://www.steamindex.com/locomag/lcwr42.htm |journal=Locomotive Magazine and Railway Carriage and Wagon Review |volume=42 |issue=522 |date=15 February 1936 |pages=53–55 }} By 1936, there were 29 locomotives, 1 railcar, 82 coaches and 925 goods wagons.{{cite book |title=World Survey of Foreign Railways |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxHLQGfxDa0C&pg=RA31-PA33 |year=1936 |publisher=Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C.|language=English |page=409}}
Stations
The principal stations, termini and junctions were:
- Port of Spain – terminus, capital and port
- Tunapuna – junction in east
- Sangre Grande – terminus in east
- Tunapuna – junction in east
- Chaguanas – junction in north central
- Rio Claro – terminus in south east
- Chaguanas – junction in north central
- Couva – station in west central
- Gasparillo – station
- Princes Town – terminus
- Claxton Bay – station in south central
- Marabella – junction in south west
- San Fernando – station in south west
- Penal – station in south
- Siparia – terminus in south
New railway
On 11 April 2008 the Trinitrain consortium was chosen to plan and build two new Trinidad Rapid Railway passenger lines. This plan was cancelled in 2010.{{cite news | work=Railway Gazette International | date=2008-04-11 | url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view//trinidad-rapid-rail-consortium-confirmed.html | title=Trinidad rapid rail consortium confirmed | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616081058/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/trinidad-rapid-rail-consortium-confirmed.html | archive-date=16 June 2011 }}