Several transportation services in Pinar del Río suspended due to lack of fuel.

Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, Minister of Transport, has published a note on his social media about the measures taken to keep train and bus services operational in Cuba, despite the current electricity contingency affecting the country.

For its part, the trains operated by the company Rutas Nacionales (from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Bayamo/Manzanillo, and Guantánamo) maintain their usual schedule, under complex conditions due to various operational aspects related to the supply of fuel for the locomotives, among other reasons. The train from Santiago de Cuba to Havana has already departed, and work is being done to create the conditions for the departure of the train from Havana to Bayamo/Manzanillo.

In the case of interprovincial transportation by bus managed by the Empresa Ómnibus Nacionales, the planned routes were able to operate during the day, seeking alternatives for fuel supply in places that have generators. Due to these difficulties, there were delays in many cases; however, departures were not canceled. Efforts are being made to ensure the planned schedule for tomorrow, with the physical fuel needed and searching for options to supply the buses. In some provinces, there is very little availability of physical fuel and challenges with supply, and efforts are being made at night to find alternatives.

Measures are being adopted to ensure the partial operation of public transport in Havana, using generators to supply the different means of transport. For its part, tomorrow 125 gazelles and 74 electric tricycles will operate in Havana that were already charged and did not operate today due to the rains in the city.

"We will continue to provide information on transportation services in the country under the current circumstances and reaffirm that the willingness of the Ministry of Transport, territorial governments, and other authorities and organizations is to do everything possible to maintain the basic services that were scheduled."

The newspaper Guerrillero de Pinar del Río, for its part, has published information regarding the transportation situation specifically for this province, announcing the temporary suspension of several services. The Pinar-Guane train will operate only for students and will suspend its service to the public; inter-municipal buses are suspended until further notice; the Pinar-Habana route will operate only to Mantua and then will be suspended. Urban routes 4 and 6 will continue to operate during peak hours.

In another order, the First Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Pinar del Río Party, Yamilé Ramos Cordero, has used the same social network to report that “In Pinar del Río, battery groups of generators provide electric service to the circuits of the hospitals in the Pinar city and to a part of the municipal capitals of Mantua, Sandino, and Los Palacios.” However, a user has pointed out that “The generator supplying the old hospital failed at 12:30, and the power was cut off until now at 6.”

On October 18, 2024, Cuba suffered a massive blackout due to the total disconnection of the national electric power system (SEN). This situation arose after the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, leaving millions of people without electricity and with no defined timeline for the restoration of service. The lack of electrical supply has generated chaos in various provinces such as Santiago de Cuba, affecting both the population and essential services, and causing long lines for fuel. Classes across the country were suspended due to the energy crisis, while the government attempted to justify the interruptions by citing weather problems, generating confusion and criticism among citizens.

On October 19, the energy collapse continued, with the reappearance of blackouts nationwide just hours after authorities claimed to be restoring service. The government attempted to recover the system by using microsystems in various regions and activating power plants, such as Energas and the thermoelectric plant in Santa Cruz del Norte. However, the situation persists, and the population expresses its discontent through social networks, demanding solutions and denouncing government inefficiency in managing the crisis.