Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Cuba begins Havana station reconstruction

Cuba begins Havana station reconstruction
Written by Erwin Reidinger

CUBAN Railways (UFC) closed its Havana Central station on June 24 for
the start of a three-year rebuilding and renovation project, which will
include the construction of additional platforms.

All passenger traffic has been moved to the adjacent Coubre yard, where
a former bus terminal has been converted into a temporary station.

Other major stations including Santa Clara and Camagüey are also being
rebuilt as part of a programme to improve and expand Cuba's railway
infrastructure.

A new line to the port of Mariel opened last year and in March this year
UFC completed a new link between Guanajay on the Havana - Mariel line
and Artemisa, the capital of the province of the same name. A daily
Havana - Artemisa passenger service now operates via Guanajay, reducing
the journey time to 1h 30min, compared with a journey time of around
three-and-a-half hours for services on the existing line.

Further new lines are under construction include Toledo - Murgas and
Bauta - Murgas which will provide additional links from Rincon to the
Mariel line, while the construction of a second track on the Naranjito -
Almendares section means the entire Havana - Mariel line will soon be
double track.

At Angosta, a few kilometres from Mariel container terminal, a new
railway complex is under construction. This includes a freight yard, a
station, a fuelling facility and maintenance depot for locomotives and
wagons. It will also provide access to a nearby logistics centre.

Source: Cuba begins Havana station reconstruction | International
Railway Journal -
http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/central-south-america/cuba-begins-havana-station-reconstruction.html

No comments: