St. Kitts Scenic Railway, Coastal railway line in Saint Kitts, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The St. Kitts Scenic Railway is a narrow-gauge railway with a track width of 762 millimeters that runs about 29 kilometers along the coast. The trains feature double-deck cars with air-conditioned lower levels and open-air upper decks for views of the shoreline and landscape.
The line was built between 1912 and 1926 to carry sugar cane from plantations to the processing facility in Basseterre. Train service ended in 2005 but was later revived as a tourist attraction.
Local performers board the train to share traditional music and dances, telling stories about the island's sugar heritage during the journey. These live performances let visitors experience the cultural identity of Saint Kitts firsthand.
The tour lasts about three hours and combines 18 miles (29 kilometers) of train travel with 12 miles (19 kilometers) by bus. It is wise to explore the upper decks early and move to the shadier lower deck later, especially in hot weather.
The "Last Railway in the West Indies" slogan is somewhat misleading: Martinique, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Cuba still run trains. The three diesel-hydraulic locomotives are PKP class Lyd2 units built at the 23 August Works in Romania, bought from a Polish sugar refinery in Dobre after its railway was liquidated.
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