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SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine -The highly anticipated rail service that will, at its peak, ferry 400 St Catherine students to and from school, got under way on Monday with seven students using the train. Transport and Mining Minister Robert Montague, who said the decision was made to run the train despite the low number of students, explained that the numbers are expected to grow over the next few days."All the students from the six participating schools would not have yet collected their cards," he told the media at the Spanish Town terminal on Monday morning. "The Ministry of Education indicated that they will get it today and tomorrow in full because all the students don't come back at the same time and the same day... It's gonna take a couple days to go up to the full 400 students allowed," he said.Montague at the terminal to see off the first students using the new service, an initiative between his ministry, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Informationm and the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC). The participating high schools are Jose Marti, Jonathan Grant, St Catherine, St Jago, Innswood, and Spanish Town."We had about six students this morning in total [on] both trains. We weren't even anticipating so much but we still insisted that we would run the train so that people can see it; get familiar with it," he explained. "As you know, the train hasn't run for passengers for a little while so you will find that some of the children are a little scared or a little apprehensive in going on. So by having the train running and they see it and feel it and get the vibes and you know, they hear from others who would have been on it, by about Wednesday, Thursday we should be up to full speed."The number of students has been capped at 400 in keeping with health ministry guidelines to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Montague is hoping that number will eventually be increased.Students who took the train Monday are among those working their way back to face-to-face classes after the Government announced that students could head back to school for the new term.The Back on Track School Train Service was initially scheduled to begin on the first Monday in 2022. However, it was pushed back to January 10. The first train pulled into the station about 7:00 am and the second arrived 22 minutes later.Three of the seven students the Jamaica Observer saw using the service gave it the thumbs up, happy that it was faster than their usual journey by taxi.St Jago High School fifth-former Steve Brissett, the first male student to board the train, said the ride was a fun experience."I live in Heartlands and I would recommend this to my friends," he said.His sister, Selima, who attends Jonathan Grant High School, confessed to being a bit afraid at the start of the journey. She eventually relaxed and now plans on taking the train to school every day. The teenagers' mother, Melissa Thompson, was with them on the train. She thinks it is a safer way to travel.So, too, does Chantal Gilbert, another St Jago High student."Maybe I'll take this every day because it's a lot safer. I would recommend this to my friends," said Gilbert, adding that the ride was "very nice".Parents and caregivers are expected to get children to the station 15 minutes before the trains leave each day, so they have enough time to sanitise, swipe their cards, and listen to the Jamaica Railway Corporation's safety instructions before departure.Jamaica has been without passenger rail service since 1992, though cargo is still moved along the tracks. Montague is hoping the rail service will be revived as part of the celebration to mark the nation's 60th anniversary of independence."On a phased basis we hope to maybe extend the rails, replace the rails, so that the rail becomes an alternative. Because, as you can see on our roads, it's being choked with cars. We have increased road fatalities and the train will be an option soon," he said.- Xavier Allen