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.
Tags: Train, Transport, Distribution
http://www.cubastandard.com/2011/04/12/work-on-worn-out-rail-tracks-beginning/
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