Passenger train derails again in Cuba: accident under investigation in Las Tunas

The Holguín–Havana train was involved in an accident on the night of Wednesday, October 22 in the rail yard of the Bartle community, in the municipality of Las Tunas, with no reports of injuries or damages to passengers or crew.

According to the Minister of Transport of Cuba, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila the incident occurred at 8:05 p.m. while the train was moving at a very low speed, typical of maneuvers in a railway yard. The locomotive 52554 and the first car of the train, which contains the equipment for generating electricity, derailed, although they remained coupled to the rest of the cars, which sustained no damage.

The minister noted that there were no impacts on the safety of the passengers or the railway staff. He also reported that a commission was formed to investigate the causes of the accident, and that the authorities of the Government and the Party of Las Tunas are involved in support and oversight efforts.

An additional locomotive was sent to the site to transport the train to the central station of Las Tunas, in order to ensure the continuity of the journey. Additionally, a command post was activated at the Ministry of Transport, in coordination with local authorities, to restore normalcy on the track, as detailed by the official media Cubadebate.

This same train, which operates on the national route between Holguín and Havana, was already involved in an accident that occurred on May 28, 2025, in the province of Camagüey, where 18 people were injured, although none seriously, according to reports from official Cuban media.

In that accident, recorded around 9:45 p.m. at kilometer 522.6 of the central line, the locomotive derailed, causing the overturning of a freight car and two coaches off the tracks. Minister Rodríguez Dávila then clarified that there were no fatalities and that the injured were treated at the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Provincial Hospital in Camagüey.

The Ministry of Transport reported that the commission established to investigate the accident in Las Tunas is working to determine the causes of the derailment, and that the results will be announced through official channels once the process is complete.