Madrid/The derailment on Monday of a cargo train on the Hershey line at the height of Jibacoa (Mayabeque) has caused the spill of three tank cars loaded with honey, without specifying whether it is the derivative of the cane or honey, one of the most profitable products for export, although the origin of the merchandise – the sugar centers battle of the Guásimas and Carlos Manuel Céspedes, in Camagüey – seems to indicate that the first option is the most likely.
The Minister of Transportation, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, was the first to inform the accident through his Facebook account, which has become one of the main government communication channels. The official indicated that the incident occurred at kilometer 53,800 at 3:10 in the afternoon and even detailed the injured train and number of locomotive.
“The convoy, which came from the Battle of Las Guásimas and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, in the province of Camagüey, transported a burden of bulk honey distributed in twelve wagons, of which ten were tanks. As a consequence of the accident, three of these tanks overturned, a spill of the product was generated, while a fourth car was unbridled,” the minister described.
Although there was no need to regret personal damage, there are at least 300 damaged mischiers and 400 meters affected by the overturn, in addition to the value of spilled honey, which has not been specified. In addition to the local authorities mobilized, the police and personnel of the Ferrocarriles de Cuba union, as well as members of sugar railroads and Western railroads, attended the events.
According to Rodríguez Dávila, “the target customer of the load was immediately informed” and the necessary work has been coordinated to save all possible honey from the tanks that overturned, as well as contain the spill. The minister also warned that repair work had begun to recover trains as soon as possible and that an expert commission will investigate what happened.
In the absence of an announced expansion of the news, which could occur throughout the morning, theories have begun to circulate in the comments to the publication of Rodríguez Dávila. The favorites are two: an alleged sabotage and the careless state of the infrastructure, although both complement each other.
“Very strange and unfortunate these situations. Without becoming naive, due to the continuity of the facts that occurred in recent times, almost repetitive, the criminal hand of saboteators is on the stalking. But those of Alte and the back are not bad and those of behind run well. One day, and not very distant, the criminals will be caught. You will see, criminals,” warned a commentator.
The high value of Cuban honey, highly appreciated in European markets, where it is described as “organic” and with low presence of waste, makes many Cubans suspect that this incident has been caused. In 2024 honey exports of the island exceeded 8,000 tons and left about 45 million dollars in the state coffers.
However, a large number of users remembered the bad maintenance of the fields through which the roads pass. “It is expected. Lack of ballast, main element of clamping, roads on direct embankment, little rifle irrigation and, next to that, a patio full of grass and few technical works: loose jobs: loose screws and lack of revision,” said a user who added as difficulty the expertise to have the drivers. “In that line, even the ronera is zapateada and spread of potholes in the heads of the fields, the tracks are served in roads and not in trucks. You have to travel the sections, which is not done in Cuba because little is paid and there are no prepared people, both workers and technicians and bosses, it is reality.”
Another user, a specialist in the sector, pointed out that the Russians had a project to improve that line, but never materialized. “This stretch of railroad has only been used by sugar trains to Havana Club distillery in Santa Cruz del Norte for almost 10 years, when the passenger service was suspended due to the damage of the hurricane. As mentioned in the publication of the minister a few days ago, there is no machinery that works to efficiently manage the work of the tracks, so everything must be done by hand by the brigades of roads. time and inevitably means that less maintenance is carried out.
