Government will make a decision on the $15 billion rapid-rail transit system by April 2010, said Prime Minister Patrick Manning.
Manning made the announcement during his opening address of the Commonwealth Business Forum yesterday aboard the cruise ship Serenade of the Seas, one of two ’floatels’ leased for this weekend’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
’We shall make a decision in April next year on the establishment of a new North-to-South, East-to-West rapid-rail system which is being developed at this time,’ Manning said.
The prime minister then went on to list a five-to-six-year development plan that included the establishment of a second oil refinery and a second iron and steel complex within the next two years.
He said ’arrangements are being concluded’ for the construction of a complex for the production of polypropylene from natural gas that could also encourage downstream activity.
’We have commenced the construction of the aluminum smelter,’ he added.
He said there were also plans to construct six new highway systems which would enable motorists to reach any point in Trinidad within 90 minutes.
Despite the overarching CHOGM agenda of climate change, Manning noted the construction and operations of the various facilities placed Trinidad and Tobago in the top-five-highest consumers of electricity per capita globally.
’As a result of this, we are moving to expand our electricity generation and distribution systems and to replace existing, older technology plants with modern, combined-cycle systems,’ he said.
Manning said because of our high level of energy consumption, some of the country’s development plans and initiatives will be directly related to the energy sector, including the establishment of more industrial parks.
’Including the major Tamana Technology Park in Wallerfield, associated with the University of Trinidad and Tobago,’ he said.
The prime minister’s only reference to the underpinning theme of CHOGM was to mention the existing desalination plant, which he claimed was moving the country away from ’too-heavy reliance on surface water sources’ and into desalination.
He said there were also plans to construct four new desalination plants and increase the output of the existing one.
Manning said while Trinidad was on a drive to become a more industrialised country, Tobago remained a tourist destination.
’We are also building a pipeline to bring natural gas to the new Cove Industrial Estate in Tobago, an island that we are determined to keep clean, green and serene,’ he said.
