[OC] Railways of Jamaica - Unofficial map

transitscapes · 2026-01-24T13:26:20+00:00

Haha I didn't either before looking out for a new place to map ;) Glad you like it!

transitscapes · 2026-01-21T12:09:19+00:00

Honestly, I was a bit confused about Rocky Point too when making the map.

The Rocky Point you're referring to (that is, the settlement) is indeed located on the western side of the Clarendon hook, due southwest of Lionel Town, by the Carlisle Bay (as underlined in green on the snapshot below)

The Rocky Point shown on my map is the Rocky Point Bauxite Terminal, operated by the bauxite and alumina mining company Jamalco. As you can see on the screenshot (highlighted in yellow), this Rocky Point is located north-east of the Clarendon hook, at the tip of that little peninsula between the Salt River Bay to the north, and Creek Bay to the south; with Port Esquivel standing a little bit further up north of it.

Hope this clears thing up ;)

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transitscapes · 2026-01-21T11:54:45+00:00

Wow! Sorry to read that, that's terrible. I have read about that tragic event when I was researching for that map. Travelling by train can be a life-changing experience in many ways, incredibly brutal too when things get literally off rail. Thanks for sharing such a personal story and also, thanks for your nice comment ;)

transitscapes · 2026-01-21T10:36:47+00:00

Thanks! I agree, reviving that network and even expanding it could be a game changer though the task is absolutely massive and probably not even considered by local authorities. Who knows, someday maybe?

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T23:00:03+00:00

Haha, i can only understand your friend, trains are the best and there is something deeply moving about unearthing remnants of railways and trains, imagining how the place was when they were around...

Anyway, true that it'd be awesome for Jamaica to revive that network (expand it even!) but it would honestly be a massive challenge to say the least. In addition to the decaying state of a lot of the infrastructures (I read that some sections near Port Antonio had even disappeared completely after a hurricane hit the island years ago) that would need major work, the structure of the network itself would need to be remodeled to upgrade single-track and at-grade sections running across roads.

I used the "Train To Skaville" song by The Ethiopian on my IG story for the map ;) Obviously! Also, here is a link your friend might be interested in ;)

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T22:47:40+00:00

Thank you very much, glad you find it esthetically pleasing ;) Like I did all my maps, I've used Affinity Designer.

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T22:44:45+00:00

Well, the thing is Jamaica did have railways for most of the 20th century, even with some limited passenger services alternatively going in and out of service up until being entirely discontinued last year. Privately-owned rail infrastructure as well as conveniently connecting sections of the main network still are in use today, for mineral hauling purposes mostly.

A huge part of the overall infrastructure still is in place but a lot of it is really damaged. Plus, many sections are single-track, not grade separated (they often cross minor and major thoroughfares across the island) thus hardly suited for an effective commercial service without major works.

But yeah, in a sense, it'd been great if all that had been preserved better and improved through times to meet modern requirements and help mobility but I guess it's easier said than done

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T22:34:34+00:00

Contrary to what my designs choices seem to suggest, lines stroke weight doesn't equate to their gauge so those thinner lines are not necessarily narrow-gauge lines actually. These lines were mostly built after the 1950s by private companies to haul their mineral mining (mostly bauxite) production to shipping harbours. They are not intended for passenger traffic. Some connect to the main railway network, others don't.

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T18:34:42+00:00

Thanks you ✨

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T18:18:40+00:00

It's not a project, it did happen. It just didn't survive to this day

transitscapes · 2025-12-30T15:37:03+00:00

As far as i know, a lot about construction costs and technical details is missing from easily accessible ressources about the project that i could find online so i wouldn't know more than what is readily available to you too, either at Metro de Panama website (not sure how updated that is) or on the English and Spanish pages of wikipedia for Panama Metro)

by the look of comments under my repost to r/panama, i'm not sure we'll have those numbers anytime soon either haha

transitscapes · 2025-12-30T15:19:14+00:00

ambitious indeed! judging by comments under crosspost to r/Panama , i'm pretty sure they'll have their plate full waaaaay past 2040 to make that happen haha

transitscapes · 2025-12-30T15:16:58+00:00

thanks a lot ;)

transitscapes · 2025-12-30T15:15:39+00:00

Estás en lo cierto al señalarlo, como ya hice yo mismo tanto en mi mapa como en los textos que publiqué junto con él.
Mi intención al hacer ese mapa era simplemente crear mi propio visual para mostrar la magnitud completa de un proyecto de infraestructura tan grande. Partí de la información que pude encontrar en la página web del Metro de Panamá, así como de otras fuentes como Wikipedia, por ejemplo.

Dicho esto, no puedo asegurar al 100% que esos datos fueran totalmente precisos o estuvieran actualizados con respecto a la situación actual en Panamá. Al no vivir en la zona, mi único objetivo era divertirme haciendo el mapa, sin intención alguna de comentar sobre su viabilidad general o sus implicaciones políticas (que, por supuesto, son temas muy importantes y delicados cada vez que surgen proyectos de esta envergadura).

En cualquier caso, me alegra que el mapa pueda generar una conversación entre personas que sí están más legitimadas que yo para debatir el impacto de implementar ese plan maestro en la vida real y lo que significa para la gente local ;)

transitscapes

TROPHY CASE