Voies Fantômes - Rediscovering Haiti's Lost Railway Heritage
Core Theme
Historical Foundation & Memory Recovery
Key Research Questions
- Where are the remaining railway artifacts (stations, bridges, rail segments) that haven't been documented?
- Which former railway workers and community elders can share oral histories?
- How can we create a centralized digital archive of Haiti's railway heritage?
Central Narrative
The rusted rails scattered across Haiti's landscape tell stories of a time when steam engines connected Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien, when coffee and sugar moved by train, and when communities were built around station platforms. This investigative piece maps the "ghost railways" - documenting abandoned infrastructure, collecting oral histories from former workers, and building a comprehensive archive of Haiti's lost transportation legacy.
Mango Connection
In the 1940s, mangoes from the Artibonite Valley traveled by rail to Port-au-Prince markets in wooden crates, arriving fresh within hours rather than days by mule train.
Key Sources to Pursue
- National Archives of Haiti
- Former railway employee associations
- Community elders in Gonaïves, Saint-Marc, Cap-Haïtien
- Historical photograph collections
- Engineering surveys from 1980s abandonment period
Research Methodology
- Field surveys with GPS mapping of remaining infrastructure
- Structured interviews with community historians
- Photographic documentation project
- Cross-referencing with international railway historical societies