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Railway system to be re-established in Guyana

Jun 11, 2011 News

A railway system would be re-established from Diamond, East Bank Demerara, to Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, says President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Guyana was the first country on the South American mainland to establish a railway. The first section, from Georgetown to Plaisance was opened on November 3, 1848.

The then government scrapped the railway in 1972 at the time fuel was cheap and the railway had become uneconomical. But oil did not stay cheap. By the mid-1970s the first oil crisis hit, fuelled by the war in the Middle East.

At the time it was scrapped the railway system had stretched from Rosignol in Berbice to Parika in Essequibo.

The then Prime Minister, the late Ptolemy Reid, later expressed regret at scrapping the railway.

Where the railway track was, is now the Railway Embankment.

Re-establishing this transport system is being done to offset the expected increasing traffic congestion on the East Bank Demerara in light of the housing and commercial expansions in the stretch, Presdient Jagdeo said.

His comments came at the one-stop exercise to award about 1,000 persons with house lots in the new housing development at Eccles, East Bank Demerara.

At the One Stop Shop activity held on Thursday at the National Stadium, Providence where the lots were distributed, President Jagdeo revealed that Government would be accessing more land from GuySuCo to expand housing.

He noted that two years ago Government purchased the land from GuySuCo for $4B and it is now being distributed as such this is not an election gimmick. Furthermore, Government would be acquiring more land from the entity.

It was revealed that in the first phase Government is seeking to establish 10,000 house lots.

Other improvements earmarked for the transportation sector are the extension of the four-lane road from Providence to Timehri and an alternative road would be constructed from Mocha to Ogle.

Moreover, the provision of jobs for the increasing population would be available as a shopping mall would be constructed and three call centres are expected to setup businesses in the area. In addition a new modern airport would be constructed.

However, land space would be left for commercial industrial development.

The East Bank would also benefit from additional secondary schools so that children can attend learning institutions close to their homes.

Already, the district has a hospital at Diamond and with the 300 doctors that are expected to return home soon would boost the facility’s human resources capacity.

President Jagdeo emphasized that in America 10 million persons lost their homes owing to the economic crisis and four million persons are expected to loose the homes as they are in the foreclosure market. In addition, millions have lost their jobs.

However, unlike the Caribbean countries Guyana’s economy kept growing owing to preparatory works done in relation to fiscal management.

Guyana’s budget is $164B and the country is borrowing less and spending more of its own money. Previously the country was borrowing more than it could have afforded and this resulted in a high foreign debt.

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