140 years ago, the San Fernando Railway Extension opened

Daily Express
Apr 17, 2022 (US)

One hundred and forty years ago today, on 17 APRIL 1882, the San Fernando Railway Extension was opened for Public traffic, so I have taken this opportunity to look back on how it came about.

The photo was taken in 1954 by Dr Arthur Down, of a Couva to San Fernando “School Special”. This is remarkably close what the early passenger trains on the Southern Main Line would have looked like prior to 1922.

HISTORIC “SOUTHERN MAIN LINE”

The railway extension to San Fernando was first approved for construction on 2nd November 1877 when the “Trinidad Extension Railway Ordinance” and the “Railway Extension Loan Ordinance” were both passed unanimously, due in part to the success of the Port of Spain to Arima Railway but the primary reason was to connect Port of Spain with the industrial and agricultural heartland of Trinidad. Accordingly, steps were at once taken towards securing land necessary for the southern railway extension and construction began a year later.

The year 1880 is historically significant in the construction of the San Fernando railway line because it played a special part in the first Royal visit to Trinidad since the colony had become a British possession in 1797.

Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Albert Victor and Prince George, both arrived on the H.M.S. ‘Bacchante’ for a fifteen day visit from January 7th to 22nd and although their famous journey along the Cipero Tramway to the Mission of Savana Grande, which thereafter became Princes Town, is well documented, often overlooked is their adventures on the Trinidad Government Railways. In fact, Trinidad’s first ever “Royal Train” ran between Port of Spain and Couva along the newly installed, but not yet opened to the public, line on January 12th, 1880. The Royal party left Trinidad on January 22nd. Only a few weeks later the Couva extension Railway was officially opened to the public on 1st March 1880.

The railway expansion continued south with the line opening to Claxton bay, a few miles north of San Fernando on 22 December 1881. This accomplishment was somewhat tempered by a fatal accident on the railway at Couva on 23 June of the same year. The accident claimed three lives and injured nine. It was the first fatal accident on the Trinidad Government Railway.

The final push to San Fernando was arduous and expensive. Several obstacles seem to conspire against the line’s completion. Apart for the very wet weather which the contractors had to deal with, there was the need in places to build a sea wall for the line to run beside the shoreline, furthermore, Pointe-a-Pierre hill had to be surmounted (see separate Pointe-a-Pierre Station post) and both the Guaracara and Tarouba Rivers had to be bridged. Ultimately there was further sea wall construction required in order to take the line into Kings Wharf at San Fernando.

The first train along the new line between Claxton bay and San Fernando was a trial run staged by the Director of Public Works, John Edward Tanner, on 30th March 1882. The inspection train made a safe return trip, beginning at ten o’clock that morning between Couva and San Fernando.

The railway to San Fernando was officially opened to the public on 17 April 1882. San Fernando Gazette Reported: “The surroundings of the Railway station were simply thronged with people of all conditions of society, and joy seemed to be the unvarying feature of every countenance which brightened the lively scene. All was joy; all was merriness-joy the more appreciable on account of its disinterestedness. The news having spread during the evening of Sunday that the train had arrived to open traffic on the next morning, at daybreak crowds of people from mostly curiosity hastened to have an early look at the "Train”, many of whom were still transfixed with amazement over a long time after the graceful motion of the train had passed the Vista Bella bridge some, powerless to resist the desire, lingered still about the wharf to await the arrival of the 9:13 train. Then the crowd swelled enormously, and the news that His Excellency would come by the next train gave additional pleasure to the public who had already consecrated the day to pleasure and refreshment”.

The report continues:

“At a short time before one in the afternoon His Worship Robert Guppy, Esq., Mayor, the members of the Borough Council, the Auditors, and the Town Clerk drove to the Railway Station where there were several other carriages awaiting the arrival of His Excellency the Governor, and his suite. At the appointed time, murmurs of applause announced the approach of the Train, and shortly afterwards, His Excellency, accompanied by several members of the Legislative Council and other gentlemen, was received by his Worship the Mayor.”

The railway line to San Fernando thereafter became known as “The Southern Main Line” and it settled in to 83 years of existence.

Despite prosperous beginnings the TGR began running into financial difficulties in the years leading up to 1920 when for the first time it lost money.

Over the years of its existence there were several economic enquires into the operations of the railway all designed to review the financial position of the department.

The early reviews happened in 1922 and again 1932. These report recommendations were carried out with little or no success.

World War Two saw a brief revival of fortunes with an increased traffic on the railway and corresponding improvement of receipts. In 1941 the Americans arrived, and heavy reliance was placed on the railway to build and supply their new air base at Waller field, where a branch line was laid from a junction with the TGR main line near Cumuto. This improved matters considerably and is regarded by many as the reason why the railway was retained for as long as it was after 1948.

This spike in activity did not last long. As increased motor vehicle usage on the island took away transportation market share from the railway, this in turn forced a permanent decline. Despite efforts to arrest this decline by successive administrations, by 1950 the railway was in deep trouble once again.

On the 12 March 1953 came the first closure announcements whereby the Arima to Sangre Grande, San Fernando to Princes Town and San Fernando to Siparia were all to lose their passenger rail services.

Despite the closures, which took effect on April 1st of 1953, the line to San Fernando had escaped the cuts but the situation was far from over and the railway continued in decline. In 1956 the Government again brought in another expert, Arthur Jessop from the British Transport Commission, to have yet another look at the situation. Arthur Jessop arrived in Trinidad on 9 January 1956 and immediately set about compiling his investigation.

The now famous “Jessop report” was submitted on 25 April 1956. The Trinidad Guardian published the following item: “The report of the British Transport consultant, Mr. Arthur Jessop, who spent nine weeks here, proposes the gradual closing down and eventual complete abolition of the 80-year-old Trinidad Government Railway system. Mr. Jessop refers to the serious decline in passenger traffic, plus a stagnant goods traffic situation which cost the Railway 18 million dollars in the last 11 years.

Despite the Jessop report, the railway soldiered on into 1960. The then Chief Minister, Dr the Rt. Honourable Eric Williams, head of the PNM party, was all too aware of the TGR’s position as a substantial employer on the island. On 17 June 1956, the PNM arranged an excursion by rail to visit the country’s rail network, by then in a very poor state. Approximately 800 people, mostly PNM party supporters, took part in the excursion. It has been suggested that the PNM was initially opposed to the scrapping of the railway. Dr Williams told the people that taking away the railway would create a disaster on the roads, which could not bear the pressure. His message was “either use the railway or lose it”.

In November 1963 there was yet another report, the “Madory report”. This report was commissioned only a matter of months after the famous Beeching report in the United Kingdom that was to eventually close one third of Britain’s railway network.

The Robert Madory Report repeated many of the sentiments of previous inquiries. The railway rolling stock and motive power were pronounced to be largely obsolete, and vast sums would have been needed to replace them. The report emphasised that road transport had already proven cheaper and more versatile in handling people and goods and recommended that the only viable economic alternative was closure of the railway.

Following this report, the government decided to phase out the railway and to concentrate on buses. The TGR at that time had already been providing an ancillary service of connecting buses for some time. The Government signaled its intention towards buses by the establishment of the Public Transport Service Corporation (P.T.S.C.) on 21 November 1964. Under the P.T.S.C. there would be no more TGR. The new organisation would manage public transport, both road and rail.

The Trinidad Guardian on 11 April 1965 declared “Railway to go in Stages” - the fate had been sealed. The days of the government railways were numbered.

Closure of The Southern Main line to San Fernando and the Caparo valley line to Rio Claro took place on 30 August 1965. Again, there was much criticism and demonstrations, but the closures went ahead.

The TGR now only had three more years to go before final abandonment of all passenger train services.

Rail passenger services in Trinidad slipped into history as the final train ran into Port of Spain on 28th December 1968 and so became a part of the Trinidad we once knew.

Source
https://trinidadexpress.com/features/local/140-years-ago-the-san-fernando-railway-extension-opened/article_1105aeea-be67-11ec-8fc6-a3060a721a62.html