Railways in
Aruba
Oranjestad tram at the Port of Call terminal
Aruba is an island in the Caribbean and a constituent country of the Netherlands.
A railway serving a gold mine near Balashi opened around 1850. A phosphate mine at the southern tip of the island had a railway in the 1880s. Neither of these railways had a long life.
In the 1920s a number of railways sprang up in connection with the petroleum refining industry. Most of these did not survive beyond World War II, but one, near the capital Oranjestad, is reported to have operated until 1960.
In December, 2012, a new tram line was opened in Oranjestad. Using battery powered trams it links the cruise ship terminal with the town centre, and is primarily used by tourists.
© 2004-2019
Glyn Williams
Netherlands flag image from CIA World Factbook
Photo image by Ein Dahmer from Wikipedia
