Region Urged to Look to Multi-modal Transport Environment

Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Mike Henry, has called on member countries of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) to broaden their focus to embrace a multi-modal transportation environment incorporating air, rail and land transportation.
“A seamless and comprehensive overall integration among the different modes of transportation is the central focus. Indeed, it is intended to complement the maritime sector’s development plans,” he said.
The Minister was making his contribution to a panel discussion on Wednesday (October 13) held as part of the CSA’s 40th annual general meeting (AGM), conference and exhibition at the Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay. The three-day AGM got underway on October 11 under the theme: ‘Regional integrated maritime strategy (RIMS); dawn of a new beginning’.
The Transport and Works Minister argued that the creation of a multi-modal transportation environment would provide significant spin-off benefits to the region.
He informed that a “comprehensive plan” to develop Jamaica’s national transportation capacity is being fine-tuned, which would benefit the wider Caribbean.
The programme, he said, has four-broad objectives: increasing skills; encouraging employment; enhancing Jamaica’s attractiveness to multi-modal enterprises; and gaining economic benefits by leveraging existing port infrastructure networks to enhance cargo traffic.
He said that not only was Jamaica an ideal location for such development but possesses world class facilities such as the Norman Manley and Sangster International Airports, the Vernamfield Aerodrome in Clarendon, which he said, is ripe for expansion, the Port of Kingston, which is a major transshipment hub; and Port Esquivel in St. Catherine.
“So when you see Duckenfield, that’s where a new aerodrome will come to serve the eastern end of the island. This facility is only a few minutes away from Norman Manley; the Ken Jones aerodrome exists, Boscobel has already been expanded to 4,720 feet and can accommodate driving passenger jets and can become a regional carrier,” he informed.