The incident occurred in the RECA chucho belonging to the Sergio Soto Refinery, near the Cabaiguán Intermunicipal Bus Terminal.
LIMA, Peru – An incident at the RECA chucho belonging to the Sergio Soto Refinery, near the Cabaiguán Intermunicipal Bus Terminal, left two people injured last Thursday in the province of Sancti Spíritus.
A report from the official radio station The Voice of Cabaiguán reported on January 9 that a fire occurred around 4:30 PM on locomotive 51217, intended for fuel transportation and located in the station’s crossing lane waiting to unload 10 rail tankers at the local refinery.
The train was affected when driver 7306 caught fire due to the explosion of an air stove used by the crew to cook food.
During the explosion and the process of uncoupling the locomotive, the assistant driver Flor Leonardo Santiesteban and the driver Nelson Mejía Conde suffered minor injuries, who were transferred to a nearby health area for check-ups.
The state press warns that the causes of the accident are currently being investigated. The driver was significantly injured and the crew’s personal property was lost.
However, there was no damage to the train machine thanks to the actions of its drivers who managed to disconnect it in time.
Official media reports confirm a series of incidents serious during the last year in Cuba, directly attributed to the poor state of the railway infrastructure.
Official figures confirm this critical panorama. Lisvany Fernández Rivero, acting general director of the Railway Transportation Administration, explained the magnitude of a maintenance crisis that would require an investment impossible under current conditions.
“67% of the railways require some type of maintenance. On the other hand, 40% of the infrastructure works require maintenance. To guarantee the sustainability of the infrastructure mentioned above, 900 million pesos are required annually, of which 25 million are in freely convertible currency for the purchase of materials, supplies and parts. For the maintenance of the railway, between 60,000 and 80,000 concrete sleepers are needed. “Last year, around 15,000 concrete sleepers were financed annually.” the official assured.
Added to the fragility of the tracks is that of the rolling stock. Luis Roberto Rosés Hernández, general director of the Cuban Railway Union, details a critical deficit of locomotives and other essential resources.
Another difficulty is the shortage of fuels and lubricants, as well as technological obsolescence and aging of rolling stock, machines, tools and specialized equipment. This deterioration not only causes delays in services, but also increases the risk of accidents.
