St Kitts and Nevis Scenic Railway derails, passengers safely evacuated

The popular tourist train of St Kitts and Nevis, the Scenic Railway derailed from its track in St. Paul on Sunday morning during its tour. As per reports, no injuries were reported among the visitors as all the passengers disembarked the train safely. 

The area which is known for track challenges experienced the accident due to heavy winds and rainfall. The rain worsened the conditions of the track, filling it with flood water and making it difficult for rail to continue the journey. The passengers were taken off onto the coaster buses, ensuring their visit to the island nation was not spoiled as they were continuing to experience the best of St Kitts and Nevis. 

Official's statement on the St Kitts Scenic Railway Incident 

The company officials immediately reacted and ensured that they are assessing the situation. They added that the St Kitts Scenic Railway has been operating successfully for many years without accident and reiterated their commitment to continuing to implement a safe operation. The St Kitts Scenic Railway is considered to be a safe operation that has been serving resident and visitors of the island for several years. 

Previous accidents at the St Kitts Scenic Railway 

This is not the first time that such incident has occurred. In January 2023, the train was travelling through the Tabernacle region when the derailment occurred. The train was carrying cruise passengers on a 30-mile train and bus tour of the island when the accident occurred about halfway through the 18-mile train segment of the tour. During that time as well, the visitors reported no serious injuries when carriages derailed during a Scenic tour. 

St Kitts Scenic Railway 

The St Kitts Scenic Railway is one of major tourist attraction of all cruise and air passengers. It takes passengers on a 3-hour tour that makes a 30-mile circle around the beautiful Eastern Caribbean Island of St. Kitts with 18 miles by narrow gauge train and 12 miles on sightseeing buses.

The St Kitts Scenic Railway was built between 1912 and 1926 with a vision to transport sugar cane from the island’s sugar plantations to the sugar factory in the capital city of Basseterre. Now, it is known for providing visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the scenery and culture of the Federation. It is a 29 kilometers (18 mi) long narrow-gauge railway line along the coastline of the island of St. Kitts in the eastern Caribbean, with a track gauge of 762 mm.