The Cuban Railway Union implemented a service last April that covers the route between Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo, aimed at university students enrolled at the Universidad de Oriente.
This initiative represents a respite in the midst of the transportation crisis, which significantly impacts students who need to travel weekly between both provinces, as recognized Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, Minister of Transportation in Cuba, in .
As explained, the service began on April 29, with two weekly departures (Monday and Friday) at four in the morning from the Guantánamo railway station to the Senén Casas Regueiro terminal, in Santiago de Cuba, and returns at one the afternoon.
The official emphasized that the “university train” has four German cars available to the university community, with a total capacity of 350 passengers, pulled by a medium-sized locomotive.
He stressed that the trip lasts approximately three hours and 40 minutes, with 11 regulatory stops established by the itinerary.
Likewise, he pointed out that the route has a price from origin to destination of 100 pesos, although the section rate is applied and In the case of students they only pay 50 percent.
The official newspaper We will win reported in that this alternative will give priority to students; however, It will also be available to the rest of the population, which is currently facing restrictions on your mobility between both provinces due to the increase in prices of private carriers, who constitute the main means of transportation.
“They must always carry the card that accredits them as students,” noted the news portal.
Users on social networks asked that the initiative also prioritize patients who travel to Santiago de Cuba to be treated at the Conrado Benítez Oncological Hospital, who currently must deal with transportation shortages or high prices for private roads.
Others expressed their gratitude for the "university train" option, but at the same time demanded similar alternatives for young residents of the city of Baracoa, since many have been forced to leave university due to the inability to afford weekly transportation.
In recent years, the exacerbation of crisis in Cuba It has had a particularly strong impact on transportation, greatly affecting university students who must travel to other nearby provinces to continue their studies.
To the terrible food in the university residences, which they relieve with food and money they bring from their homes, must add the high prices of transportation, often private.
This situation is faced by those who live in the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, affected by the terrible service offered by the government to those who need to leave the territory regularly.
In a text shared on his profile , Rodríguez Dávila, Minister of Transportation in Cuba, admitted that the process is extremely uncomfortable and cumbersome, from the purchase of the ticket to the arrival.
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