The government enables a train to the Eastern beaches as a low-cost alternative for the people

The Minister of Transport of Cuba, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, announced this weekend the return of the "beach train," an option aimed at facilitating access for the people of Havana to the Eastern Beaches during the summer.

The measure comes amid a severe transportation crisis that has persisted for years and continues to worsen, leaving millions of Cubans with very few mobility options.

According to the minister's explanation on Facebook, the train will depart from the cargo yard of the Central Station at Egido and Arsenal in Old Havana, and will consist of a locomotive with three cars, each with 48 seats.

It will operate from Tuesday to Sunday, with Monday reserved for maintenance, and will cover 14 stops, from the center of Havana to Guanabo.

The departure schedule from the cargo yard will be at 9:00 am and will arrive at Playas del Este at 10:32 am. The return will be at 6:05 pm, arriving at 7:40 pm.

The ticket price will be 35 Cuban pesos per person (CUP) for each trip.

Although the announcement was presented as a joint achievement between the Ministry of Transportation and the Government of Havana, this train represents only a minimal relief in a critical reality: the scarcity and deterioration of the national public transportation system.

With most urban bus routes operating at less than full capacity—if not completely halted due to a lack of fuel or parts—residents of Havana are facing endless lines, hours of waiting in the sun, exorbitant prices for private transport, and the inability to plan their daily lives.

The train, with only 144 daily capacities per trip, does not structurally resolve a crisis that affects the overall mobility of the population.

The contrast of the dollar: Transtur and the two-speed Cuba

While the State promotes the train as an "affordable" option, the other available alternative to reach the beaches—the Habana Bus Tour offered by the state company Transtur—charges $10 per person for a service with air conditioning, regular frequency, and a tourist "hop on - hop off" mode.

This dual reality reflects the growing inequality between those who receive remittances or have access to dollars and the majority of Cubans, whose salary in pesos is insufficient to meet basic needs, let alone afford transportation in foreign currency.

The fact that a state-owned company offers services such as internal transportation in foreign currency, while the rest of the population has to settle for a train, highlights the inequity of the current model and clearly demonstrates a preference for tourism and the generation of foreign currency over the urgent needs of the citizens.

Same route, different conditions

Every year, the capital authorities offer this service to the people of Havana, which for many has become more of a symbol of hardship than of progress.

In fact, last year it was a medium-sized locomotive with four cars, with a capacity of approximately 200 passengers, over 50 more seats than those offered this summer.

Old carriages, without air conditioning, limited schedules, and only one daily departure, stand in stark contrast to the official propaganda that tries to market it as a "popular alternative" for the summer.

On social media, several users questioned the actual effectiveness of this solution. "If they spent less money building empty hotels, we would have plenty of cars," wrote a young man on the minister's Facebook wall.

Another user recalled what happened to her last year: "I was stranded for more than four hours in the middle of nowhere with a broken train."

"Thank goodness they didn’t schedule the second trip; otherwise, it would be a waste of fuel," a resident of Havana remarked sarcastically.

"The conditions of the trains are precarious, the heat is suffocating, and the tracks are in terrible shape. In the 21st century, the state of the railway sector in Cuba is a thousand times worse than in the 19th century," questioned a Havana resident.

The disconnect between the official discourse and reality

The return of the train to the beaches may seem like a positive measure, but it also reveals the disconnect between the government’s rhetoric and the actual conditions in the country.

While it is presented as an affordable option for the people, the reality is clearer: there is insufficient transportation, buses hardly operate, and the service in dollars has become the norm for what was once a basic right.

Instead of planning a comprehensive recovery of public transport, the State restricts itself to enabling partial solutions that are poorly equipped and have very limited capacity, while reserving comfortable and modern options for those who can afford to pay in dollars.

Mobility, like other essential services in Cuba, has become a luxury for most people. And in this context, a train with only three carriages seems more like an anecdote than a solution.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Train to the Eastern Beaches in Cuba