• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 04 / 13 / 2011

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Using imported rails from Russia and concrete ties made in a new Cuban plant, work crews have concluded reconditioning 15 miles of track along the island’s main trunk railroad within 75 days, Granma reported.

Cuban railroad tracks have deteriorated to the point where they are causing frequent accidents. The particular stretch of the Havana-Santiago line in Matanzas province, between Cuatro Esquinas and Cascajal, had been among the most dilapidated segments, allowing for only 25 mph speeds. The renovated stretch will allow speeds of 75 mph.

The effort is funded mainly by Venezuela, via the ALBA integration agreement. In 2007, Venezuela’s Banco de Desarrollo (BANDES) agreed to invest $100 million in infrastructure improvements and repairs to the island’s rail network, to increase average speeds from 25 mph to 62 mph. In exchange, Cuban rail engineers are providing services in Venezuela.

Deteriorated tracks have led to severe accidents, including on the 560-mile trunk line from Havana to Santiago. To stop the deterioration, the state rail company has been recycling unused rails from idled sugar operations as a stopgap measure. In 2010, only 8 miles of track were renovated.

As part of the large overhaul project of more than 2,500 miles of track, state railroad company Unión de Ferrocarriles de Cuba last year made investments at the Solcar rail soldering company in Placetas and the railroad tie and fastener plant in Santa Clara. The Solcar plant last year replaced its Soviet-era equipment with a new, automatized MCP 6301 soldering machine and is now able to pre-assemble track segments up to 300 meters long with rails mostly imported from Russia. Meanwhile, the railroad tie plant in Santa Clara received a highly automatized concrete-tie making machine.

Source: www.cubastandard.com/2011/04/12/work-on-worn-out-rail-tracks-beginning/