The first train using new equipment from China pulled out of Havana on Saturday, hauling excited passengers on the start of a 915km journey to the eastern end of the island, as the government tries to overhaul the country’s aging and decrepit rail system.
The 14 gleaming Chinese cars and a locomotive departed the city’s central train station, and wended their way through nine cities before ending in Guantanamo 15 hours later.
The train has four air-conditioned wagons and a rolling restaurant car.
Photo: Reuters
Previously the trip could take days because of equipment breakdowns and track erosion.
It marks a first step of an overhaul Cuba’s communist government started early last year, repairing about 4,200km of aging tracks and dozens of tumble-down stations scattered around the island.
“It’s a blessing from God because we had to take this trip and private cars are very expensive, but we got a very good low fare and we are proud to be taking this train,” 69-year-old passenger Virginia Pardo said.
However, much remains to be done to bring Cuba’s ailing train system up to acceptable standards with kilometers of rusting tracks and just a handful of reliably equipped trains.
Cuba received a shipment of 80 new train carriages and locomotives in early May, part of a promised consignment of 250 pieces of equipment by the end of this year.
“We have more work to do because there needs to be better organization to travel on the train, so people don’t get so overworked and desperate to travel on it,” 57-year-old passenger Angel Matamoros said.
The government hopes a revamp of the system will restore one of the region’s first country-wide rail services, heavily used to move goods and people around the nation.
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