The Cuban Railway Union has reestablished in the last two weeks several connections that were paralyzed due to economic difficulties. The provincial press announced on Tuesday the restart of the route between Santiago de Cuba and Manzanillo, in Granma, as well as the train services in the province of Holguín.
After “several years without circulating”, train 610 arrived at the Senén Casas Regueiro station in Santiago, coming from Manzanillo. The vehicle will operate with eight passenger cars, four days a week, and for a price of 58 pesos each ticket.
Arianna Chang, director of the Eastern Railway Company, told the newspaper Sierra Maestra that the reactivation of the service is part of the preparations for the commemoration of July 26 in the province.
Chang attributed the stoppage of the cargo and passenger transport service to the “ravages” left by the covid-19 pandemic and to the “increased measures” of the blocking from the United States to the Island. The official press welcomed this “symbolic” railway, which will connect the citizens of “hundreds of cities, towns and communities” in both eastern provinces.
The train service in Holguín, which had been suspended due to a lack of locomotives, was also reactivated.
Last Monday the train service in Holguín, which had been suspended due to lack of locomotives, also resumed. the provincial newspaper Now! He explained that the Holguín-Guantánamo route stopped working last January because the cars it used belong to the Ferroazúcar Base Business Unit and, during the harvest, they had to be used to transport cane.
The route has a cost of 63 pesos and works with an intermediate day. In this way, on Monday the train will leave Holguín at 2:00 pm and will return on Wednesday at 12:00 noon, to return at the established time.
Likewise, the Antilla-Holguín and Holguín-Las Tunas routes were incorporated. According to the itinerary published by the press, the departure from the coastal municipality of Antilla will be at 3:20 am, to arrive at the provincial capital at 7:00 am. The cost of the ticket is 60 pesos.
Then, this same train will leave at 8:20 am to Las Tunas, with a fare of 50 pesos. This route will operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Similarly, the Antilla-Holguín and Holguín-Las Tunas routes were incorporated
This month, the Western Railway Union also announced the resumption of operations between Old Havana and the eastern beaches of the capital, in Guanabo, a tourist channel in high demand during the summer. The company allocated a three-car locomotive, with a capacity of 70 seats each, at a price of 35 pesos.
In the same way, this Wednesday confirmed the reopening of the Central Railway Station in Havana, with the entrance of the train between Guantanamo-Havana.
The railway services do not escape the economic crisis of the Island, with old and rusty locomotives. Last February, the Cuban Railway Union assured that only 25 of the 81 locomotives are in operation Chinese available to the Cuban State. The rest are stopped due to lack of maintenance and repair.
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