Security presence on school train

Some persons have expressed concerned about the level of security in the wake of the announced return to face-to-face learning for the beginning of the second semester of the academic year.

A ministry source who is not authorize to speak on the matter informed Old Harbour News that adequate security staff will be on the ground at the respective train stations as well as on the train.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is a partner of the programme which includes the Ministry of Transport and Mining, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, the Jamaica Railway Corporation, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC).

The school train service dubbed “Back on Track” is a pilot programme catering primarily to students on the government’s PATH programme.

The pilot will operate in two segments in the parish of St. Catherine and is expected to provide safe and cost-effective transport for school-age children who depend on the public transport system for travel.

The service will move students from Old Harbour and Linstead into Spanish Town by train. Then the JUTC will pick up and drop them off at the various schools in Spanish Town. In the afternoon the reverse will take effect.