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An accident occurred on the morning of this Wednesday at kilometer 1.5 of the Artemisa railway branch, when the Artemisa–Havana train collided with a truck that was obstructing the track at crossing number 4, failing to heed the established signals.
According to the report from the Union of Railways of Cuba, the collision occurred at 7:50 a.m. and, according to the official report, there were no injuries, although there was material damage to both vehicles.
The report states that following the intervention of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) and the verification of the locomotive's technical condition, the train continued its journey to Havana without further incidents.
Railway authorities indicated that the service was restored immediately and that the personnel on board were not harmed.
The accident once again highlights the issue of inadequate precautions at railway crossings, a critical point in Cuban road safety.
Recent reports from the railway system have emphasized the need to respect warning signals and speed limits in these sections, especially in areas where signage is manual or deficient due to infrastructure deterioration.
Although this incident did not result in any casualties, the impact caused visible damage to the front of the locomotive and to the side of the truck involved, which had to be removed from the site.
This Wednesday, the passenger train covering the Havana-Sancti Spíritus route, known as “El Espirituano,” derailed near the municipality of Placetas, in the province of Villa Clara. According to official sources, no one was injured in the incident.
Around 7:30 a.m., train No. 32 experienced the derailment of one of the four cars it was operating.
Mirtha García Jiménez, deputy director of the Union of Railroads of Cuba in Sancti Spíritus, stated that "work is being done to resolve the derailment to restore the tracks to good condition" so that the train can continue its journey to the provincial capital.
The Ministry of Transportation has implemented measures to ensure the continuity of travel for the 80 passengers on the train, who were transported by bus to the territory of Villa Clara, said the president of the Municipal Defense Council of Placetas, Yaima Ángel Hernández.
Train derailments, both of passenger and freight trains, have become very frequent in Cuba, due to multiple causes that point to the serious deterioration of the railway infrastructure, lack of maintenance of the locomotives, technical problems such as mechanical and electrical failures, poor road signage, and human errors.
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