There are no passenger trains in Guyana. Only one railway in Guyana in operation is a short line of sugar cane railway at the Blairmont Central Factory in Rosignol, where the railway from Georgetown ended in the past. The line is approximately 800 meters long and is used to transport sugar cane from the river port, where it arrives on barges from sugar cane plantations. I can’t verify if this narrow gauge railway is still active.
A diesel locomotive and parts of the track have been preserved at the Skeldon Sugar Estate in Corriverton.
History of the railways in Guyana is a very interesting topic. The first railway in this country (British Guiana) was opened in 1848 and was the first railway in South America. There were two main railway lines in Guyana: Demerara – Berbice Railway and Demerara – Essequibo Railway. Industrial railway operated in Linden for the movement of bauxite ore until recently, but trains were replaced by trucks.
Demerara – Berbice Railway
The railway line built by the Demerera Sugar Company was inaugurated in 1848. The first section connected Georgetown and Plaisance (approx. 8 km). Six years later the line was extended to Belfield, in 1864 to Mahaica, and around 1900 to Rosignol. The entire line was then 97.4 km long.
According to Wikipedia, there were plans to extend the line to Brazil, but it seems that it would be much easier to bring the tracks to the border with present-day Suriname (approx. 70 km). These plans were abandoned.
The railway was used for passenger and freight transport. The decline of the railways in Guyana took place after independence. The line was closed in 1972.
Georgetown’s former workshop buildings and rolling stock sheds, as well as former railway bridges, have been preserved.
Demerara-Essequibo Railway
The Demerara-Essequibo Railway was opened in 1912 and connected Vreed en Hoop with Greenwich Park. In 1914, the line was extended to the village of Parika. The total length of the line length 29.8 km. Nine railway stations and the same number of smaller railway stops with a shelter and a platform were built along the way. The company managing the line – West Coast Railway – was struggling with problems from the beginning – in addition to financial problems, the operation of trains was very difficult before the tracks were laided below sea level – during high tides the tracks were flooded. The railway was extremely popular, especially since ferries ran from Parika to the other side of the Essequibo River.
In 1931, the West Coast Railway was nationalized by the government of British Guiana. The rolling stock was replaced in 1955-1956. Passenger and freight trains ran on the line. Increasing competition from cars and buses led to the closure of the line in 1971 or 1974 .
Wismar-Rockstone railway
Among the most important railway lines in Guyana is the Wismar – Rockstone railway line, intended for transport people and goods from the Demerara River into the interior of the country and to the Essequibo River. The line was built because transport of the goods and people by steamships was impossible due to the waterfalls on the Demerara River. The railway was built between 1895 and 1897 by Sprostons Company LTD. The 29.8 km long line was built to 1000 mm gauge.
Trains began and ended at the river port in Rockstone. The timetable was synchronized with the ferry schedule from Georgetown. Trains ran from Monday to Saturday. I have no information on the line’s closing date.
In addition to the lines mentioned, there were several smaller industrial ralways in Guyana.
Additionally, between 1901 and 1930, streetcars operated in Georgetown and the surrounding area.
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