Travelling through Trinidad & Tobago - roads, airports, railway, bus transportation

Over the past 40 years, the transport interchange in Trinidad and Tobago has improved considerably. Significant state and foreign investments were made in the development of transport infrastructure. Despite the specific terrain and basic geographical structure of the country, a diverse transport network covers almost all remote regions and provinces. The length of roads is more than 8,500 kilometers, and approximately 4,000 kilometers has high quality modern asphalt surface. There are markings on such roads, but there are few road signs here, and often they are understandable only to the local population.

The main types of urban transportation in the country are buses and shuttle buses. With the help of buses, you can travel not only within one city, but also move around a particular island. The schedule for trips can be found at city bus stations. Shuttle buses are much more frequent than buses, and tend to go to the most remote regions of Trinidad and Tobago. However, such transport can carry no more than 12 passengers at a time. The quality of buses in the fleet is quite good; the passengers’ compartments are clean, and some buses even have air conditioning and televisions.

In the past century, there was a fairly large railway service on the islands. However, it was eventually reorganized, and they began to construct new tracks only 10 years ago. They are located near San Fernando. It is worth noting that railway transport is intended more for freight transport than for passenger traffic. That is why electric trains are the least demanded among tourists and locals.

Due to the territorial location of Trinidad and Tobago, navigation is well developed. The main port is located in the capital city. A high-class ferry service is developed between the islands. With that in mind, tourists can choose between high-speed and regular ferries. High-speed ferries are usually more expensive, but travel time is significantly reduced and additional services are provided on board. In addition, excursion ships and yachts, large catamarans and boats, also ply territorial waters. You can navigate between the islands with the help of an aircraft. There are more than a dozen domestic flights daily, and the flight will take no more than half an hour.

The air transportation network on the islands is developed at a fairly high level. This is due to the territorial features of the country. Statistics show that air transport interchange is paramount when it comes to moving between the individual islands of the state. The main international airport f the country is called the Piarco international Airport. The airport is located near the capital, Port-of-Spain. You can get from the terminal to the capital by bus. At present, there are two terminals operating at the airport simultaneously, there is one runway, as well as two helicopter landing sites. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

It is worth mentioning that the airport has a rather long history and was actively used during the Second World War. However, in the post-war years, it was again transferred to civilian property. The airport was gradually modernized, and is today not inferior to European airports. The airport infrastructure is quite comfortable as the terminals are fully air conditioned. Within the airport’s territory, you will find spacious lounges, restaurants and cafes, souvenir shops, chain of stores selling duty-free goods, nursery rooms, facilities for people with disabilities, currency exchange offices, bank branches, ATMs, travel agencies and rental points for personal transport.

Currently, more than 15 airlines are working with Piarco International Airport. Statistics show that at the peak of the tourist season, the airport takes about 180 international flights a week and serves about one thousand five hundred passengers per hour. The next international airport is Crown Point Air Harbor, which is located near Tobago. Today, the airport has one functional terminal. The height of the airport is 11 meters above sea level.

The most comfortable conditions have as been created for passengers to rest before their flights. On the territory of the airport, you can find air-conditioned lounges, VIP rooms, a small conference hall, restaurants, inexpensive cafes and bars, popular chain stores, souvenir shops, kiosks selling magazines and newspapers, a nursery room and so on. On the territory of the islands are situated a few dozen airports and runways. Almost all of them are intended solely for domestic flights between the islands.

The islands have well-developed transport interchange. The quality of roads here is relatively good; about 4,000 kilometers have an asphalt surface. You should know that movement is left-handed, and the steering wheel in cars is on the right. Road markings are applied on asphalt road sections, while signs are rarely encountered and are very inconspicuous. The service of renting cars is quite popular here. However, if you still want to travel on your own, it is best to book the car in advance or immediately upon arrival at the airport. To do this, you need a credit card and an international driver’s license.

To cut down on cost, you can move within a particular island by bus. They run quite often, and it is a similar service that covers the most remote regions and provinces. Alternatively, you can board a minibus, which are called “Maxi” in the local language. They make much more trips than buses, and the average fare is about 50 cents. You can purchase a bus ticket at special vending machines or newspaper stands. As a rule, drivers are not allowed to take fares from passengers. Public transport here is fairly clean, and breakdowns on the road are extremely rare. It is also possible to book a taxi. Absolutely all taxi companies are metered. On average, the cost of a kilometer ride is 65 cents.

To quickly get from one island to another, you can use the air network. As a rule, at least 13 domestic flights are conducted between the islands at the height of the tourist season. The flights last no more than 30 minutes, and there is public transport from the airports to the center of the nearest cities. If you have more time to spare, it is better to use ferries, which also run between the islands. Water transportation is upscale and that implies high quality service should be expected. Moving between the islands, a round trip ticket on a high-speed ferry will cost about $18, and about $14 on a regular ferry. In addition, you can move between the islands on excursion ships and other types of water transport.