Cuba
Country Details
See Wikipedia
National Railway System
Ferrocarriles de Cuba, which does not appear to have a website.
- UIC code: numeric 40; alpha CU
Timetable
Timetable information is available at The Man in Seat 61 and Fahrplancenter, but as at February 2023 fuel shortages, a lack of serviceable locomotives and coaches or train crews meant the National services from Havana were only running every 4th day to one of four destinations, Guantanamo, Santiago, Holguin or Bayamo/Manzanillo. Even so these suffer cancellations and seriously late running, plus many local services such as Santa Clara - Moron - Nuevitas or Santa Clara - Cienfuegos; Santiago - Manzanillo, Guantanamo - Holguin, Matanzas - Los Arabos, Havana Coubre - Guines/Paloshich, [all of which run independently of, so do not connect to/from the National's] have been suspended for some time for the same reasons with little sign of re-instatement so travel by rail over distance is a challenge.
Summary timetables are available in some editions of the European Rail Timetable.
Maps
Various schematic maps are available at the Wikipedia Spanish language page.
Infrastructure
- Gauge: standard
- Electrification: most lines are not electrified. The former Hershey Railway is electrified at 1200V DC.
- Rule of the road: Right
Other Railways
The Hershey Corporation (the chocolate company) has a 1200v DC overhead electric railway from Havana Casablanca station [accessed by Ferry from Havana Vieja] via Hershey to Matanzas, and a branch from a separate "Callé 7" station in Hershey adjacent to the line Depot to Jaruco. Following significant Hurricane damage in late 2017 there has been no service from Casablanca to Hershey, and subsequently the Hershey - Matanzas service has been suspended, leaving only Callé 7 to Jaruco operating.
In 2018 the narrow gauge Rafael Freyre Sugar Mill system operated railbus passenger services some distance into the surrounding hills to villages with no road access, plus steam for purely Tourist services but the current situation is not known. Additionally many rural areas [e.g. around Manati] have private company services on private tracks operated literally by "buses" on rail wheels but details are almost impossible to confirm.
Tourist Lines
Pre-covid there were a handful of ex Sugar Cane mills providing steam hauled rides up to around 5km into the surrounding fields as part of the visitor experience, [Jose Smith Comas, Australia, Marcelo Saledo, Patria o'Muerte], but it is believed none were operating in 2022 as Tourist numbers had not recovered. Again pre-covid, there was a diesel hauled purely Tourist operation north from the UNESCO city of Trinidad to at least Iznaga, again current status unknown so any reports of active lines would be appreciated by the Compilers.
Metro and light rail systems
None
