The passenger trains between Camagüey and Bayamo returned to circulate last November 2 after more than three years of paralysis, reported the Cuban Railway Company.
The provincial media echoed the restart of operations, which, according to newspaper 26, the inhabitants of the municipalities bordering the line “longed”, due to the difficulties in accessing safe transportation. The news was accompanied by photographs of the wagons, in which the neglect of the units, rusty and with discolored paint, is evident.
Dania Espinosa Rivero, head of the state company’s Stations department, explained that they plan three weekly trips, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The departure is scheduled at 9:00 in the morning from the Camagüey terminal to the capital of Granma, while its return is scheduled at 3:30 in the afternoon. The cost of the ticket is 63 pesos.
The route will also benefit the municipalities of Colombia, Amancio and Jobabo, south of Las Tunas, which are close to the railway route.
The route will also benefit the municipalities of Colombia, Amancio and Jobabo, south of Las Tunas, which are close to the railway route
the provincial newspaper Ahead assured that this line “is highly demanded” and contributes to “facing the complex situation of the sector, which is going through one of the most critical stages in recent years”. In its note, the medium blames the blocking of the United States due to the deterioration of the transport network and the shortage of fuel.
The rail passenger transport service is limited due to the poor conditions of the network infrastructure, with breaks in the railway tracks, bridges and overpasses, in addition to a low availability of locomotives, freight cars and demand.
In 2019, the Government promised to launch a system modernization program for more than 8,190 kilometers of railways with the collaboration of the Russian company RDZ. Both parties signed an agreement to improve some 1,000 kilometers, provide materials, technology and training, for which the Russian side planned to contribute 2,314 million dollars, but in 2020 the cooperation was suspended due to economic difficulties and quarantine restrictions in the region. Island.
Last October it was reported that a chinese company would resume the “gradual recovery” of the railway infrastructure through an agreement signed between the Union of Cuban Railways (UFC) and Beijing Fanglian Technology. The new chapter of cooperation includes the restoration of the workshops and locomotives that are in the Special Development Zone of Mariel, in addition to the importation of parts and pieces of equipment.
Luis Roberto Roses Hernández, general director of the UFC, pointed out that with China’s cooperation it will be possible to acquire “the necessary parts for the maintenance of high-size Chinese locomotives and the gradual improvement of their reliability.”
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