The Cuban Railway Union (UFC) has restored rail services between Holguin province and western Cuba. With the resumption of operations on the national train line connecting to Havana. Following damage in the eastern region caused by Hurricane Melissa.
The storm, which reached Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, caused significant damage to the railway lines in the northeastern province. The most affected sections were the main line between Omaja and Alto Cedro. Also with more than one kilometer damaged, and the Holguin branch line. With 800 meters damaged, Lázaro Llanes Lemes, deputy director of the UFC in Holguin, told CNA.
From the outset of the recovery efforts, the priority was to restore functionality to the railway network. Whose interruption prevented rail communication with the rest of the country, negatively impacting passenger and freight transport.
Currently, the connection to the West has been restored with the operation of National Train No. 15, which covers the Havana-Holguin route. This is the only train currently operating and has returned to its regular Schedule. Prioritizing passengers with reservations for the dates when service was suspended. Meanwhile, service to the remaining destinations in the East remains suspended, he explained.
Another affected branch line was the Antilla line, with 700 meters damaged and a complex situation due to the destruction of two bridges. The one at kilometer 16.8 and the one over the Salado River, which were damaged by flooding and overflowing rivers. These floods washed away material from the railway bed and undermined the embankment, leaving it without support.
For the repairs, two trains loaded with stone were sent to the Omaja-Cacocum section. Moreover where the efforts of the work crews allowed them to reopen the line. They also manually restored service on the Holguin branch line and are working on the Cacocum-Alto Cedro section.
Llanes explained that the materials come from quarries in Camagüey and Cienfuegos. Which will allow for communication with Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba. A vital connection for transporting cargo and fuel to the province. Therefore, they are working continuously.
Aimed at facilitating the movement of people between regions. They offer a local train service with four cars to Las Tunas, which operates on alternate schedules—Saturdays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—depending on fuel availability.
In addition to the damage to the lines, the Antilla workshop lost its entire roof, of which only a portion was recovered, and at the Alto Cedro station. The platform suffered minor damage from falling roof tiles. Other equipment, such as locomotives, wagons, and signal boxes, remain in good condition, he commented.
Work crews from the railway sector and the Tracks and Bridges Basic Business Unit are working continuously and manually on the restoration of embankments and track assembly. Also with the goal of fully restoring services and maintaining connectivity throughout the archipelago.
With information from the Cuban News Agency
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