Transportation in Saint Kitts and Nevis
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Transport in Saint Christopher and Nevis (a two-island federation) includes normal road traffic, public buses, taxis, ferries, airports, and one railway.
Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kit ...
is the hub for all major roads in Saint Christopher.
Charlestown, Nevis Charlestown is the capital of the island of Nevis, in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Leeward Islands, West Indies. Charlestown is situated on the leeward side of the island of Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean ...
is the equivalent hub in Nevis. Driving is on the left. The speed limit in settled areas is 40 km/h, with special caution to be taken around school zones. In rural areas the speed limit is 60 km/h. The total length of roads in Saint Christopher and Nevis is 320 km. In 1999 it was estimated that 136 km were paved, and 184 km were unpaved.


Public buses

The public buses are privately owned, but government-licensed, vans. They sometimes have a decorative name on the front, and they all have a ''green'' licence plate where the number starts with the letter "H" or "HA". A bus may be flagged down anywhere along its route (not just at bus stop shelters), and the bus will also stop anywhere along its route (on request) to let off a passenger. All bus fees (in Eastern Caribbean or EC dollars) are $2.50 for a trip of 5 miles or under, $3.00 for a trip of 5 to 10 miles, and $3.75 for a trip over 10 miles. ($1 US = $2.7 EC) Destinations off of the main route are often possible on request, at the discretion of the driver, on payment of a small extra charge.


St. Kitts

There are 5 main bus routes on St. Kitts: *Basseterre to Sandy Point travelling west, starting at the Ferry Terminal *Basseterre to Capesterre travelling west, starting at the Ferry Terminal *Basseterre to St. Peter's travelling north, starting at College Street Ghaut *Basseterre to Molyneux travelling east, starting at Baker's Corner *Basseterre to Saddler's travelling east, starting at Baker's Corner (No public buses travel southwards to the main resort areas in Frigate Bay and the Southeast Peninsula of St. Kitts.)


Nevis

On Nevis, buses run both ways along the main ring-road around the island. All buses start off, and eventually finish up, in the capital of Nevis, Charlestown. Buses that will be travelling north out of Charlestown wait to leave from the southwest end of D. R. Walwyn Plaza. Buses travelling south from Charlestown wait to leave from the northern end of Memorial Square. At the termination points you can board a bus and wait for it to fill up before it leaves. If you are not sure you are climbing into the right bus, ask the driver if he goes to your destination.


Taxis

Taxis are privately owned, but government licensed, vans. These vans usually have a name, and they all have ''yellow'' license plates where the number starts with the letter "T" or "TA". The main taxi stand on St. Kitts is in Basseterre, on The Circus, phone number 466 6999, and there is a taxi stand at the airport too. The main taxi stand on Nevis is in Charlestown, on the west side of D.R. Walwyn Plaza, and there is also a taxi stand at the airport. A taxi can traverse any accessible area on the islands, including even dirt roads and trails, if the driver agrees. It is a good idea to agree on a price in advance, and be clear about which currency the price is quoted in ($ EC or $ US.)


Harbours and ferries


St. Kitts

Basseterre is the location of all official harbouring services on Saint Kitts, though
Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
stations exist at
Sandy Point Town Sandy Point is the second largest town in the island of Saint Kitts, Saint Kitts and Nevis. This town is situated on the north-west coast of St.Kitts and is the capital of Saint Anne Sandy Point Parish. It is strongly believed that the area kn ...
and Dieppe Bay Town. The Deep Water Harbour at Basseterre is capable of both hosting and berthing of cruise ships or the handling of cargos. It is located to the extreme East of Basseterre Bay. Port Zante, in the centre of Basseterre Bay, is for use of docking cruise ships only. The Port can accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world. It also has a marina facility. The bay is also home to the popular ferry connection between Basseterre, St. Kitts and Charlestown, Nevis. There are several trips daily. On rare occasions there is a special ferry day trip from Basseterre to Oranjestad,
St Eustatius Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially "public body") of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, sout ...
and back again. A relatively new (started in 2007) car ferry, which can take up to 35 cars and also takes pedestrian passengers, is called the "Sea Bridge" ferry, and is in operation between the two islands. This ferry traverses the narrow, 2-mile wide straight named 'The Narrows' between the two islands in 25 minutes, from Major's Bay in St. Kitts (at the tip of the southeastern peninsula), to Cades Bay in Nevis. Cars can also be carried by the "Sea Hustler" ferry, which operates out of Basseterre.


Nevis

Charlestown is the harbour for the government ferries which run between Charlestown and Basseterre on St. Kitt

There is a deep water port on the southern coast of Nevis for cargo ships. The "Sea Bridge" ferry, which takes cars (and also pedestrians), docks in the northwest part of Nevis at Cades Bay, and runs between there and Majors Bay on St. Kitts. The Sea Bridge ferry runs six times a day in each directio

. For pedestrians it is worth noting that there are no facilities of any kind at Majors Bay (no houses, no businesses, etc.), only a small wooden gazebo as shelter from sun or rain, and so, if you have not already arranged to be met at Majors Bay by car or taxi, you will have to enjoy Majors Bay for a couple of hours in its more or less wild state before taking the ferry back to Nevis.


Airports


St. Kitts

The
Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport Robert L. Bradshaw Airport , formerly known as ''Golden Rock Airport'', is an international airport located just northeast of Basseterre, on the island of Saint Kitts, serving the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It was named after the first Pr ...
( IATA airport code SKB/TKPK) serves the city of Basseterre, and by extension the island of Saint Kitts. The airport is located in the south of the parish of
Saint Peter Basseterre Saint Peter Basseterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located on the main island of Saint Kitts and the parish capital is Monkey Hill. Land The parish's consists of forest-covered rugged hills ...
on the north-eastern periphery of the city of Basseterre. The 8001-foot runway airport has direct flights to London, New York and Miami, and seasonal flights to Charlotte, NC, and Philadelphia, PA, in addition to other major cities in the US and Canada during the tourist season.


Nevis

The Vance W. Amory International Airport ( IATA airport code NEV/TKPN) serves the island of Nevis. The airport runway is 4002 feet in length. Many flights connect from here to other Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico.


Railway

St. Kitts has 58 km of narrow gauge railway, which centres in the capital,
Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kit ...
, and circles the island. The railway line was originally built between 1912 and 1926 to transport sugar cane to the central sugar factory in Basseterre. The last load of sugar cane was delivered to the now-defunct factory in 2005, but since 2003 the railway has offered a circle tour of the island aboard specially designed open-air, double-decker coaches primarily for tourists.St. Kitts Scenic Railway
official site, accessed 15 December 2012. The '' St. Kitts Scenic Railway'' train currently runs from Sandy Point to Basseterre, travelling east.


See also

*
Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain ...


References


Notes


Further reading

*


External links


St. Kitts airport


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