The School Train Service, called ‘Back To Track’, will officially roll out next Monday (January 10) to correspond with the face-to-face reopening of high schools participating as part of the pilot.

The rollout date was rescheduled at the request of the schools and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, due to the fact that all participating schools will reopen on January and school administrators are using this week to prepare for the resumption of face-to-face classes.

During the official launch of the School Train Service on December 14, Transport and Mining Minister Robert Montague announced that the service would commence with the reopening of schools in January. The service will begin by transporting students from Old Harbour and Linstead to Spanish Town in St Catherine.

The Back on Track School Train Service is a partnership with the Ministry of Transport and Mining, the Education Ministry, the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC), the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

The commuter 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-aged children who depend on the public system for travel.

The service seeks to move children from Old Harbour and Linstead into Spanish Town by train. The JUTC will then pick up and drop students at their respective schools in the Spanish Town area. The reverse will take place following the closure of schools each afternoon.