Cargo train derails in Villa Clara, halting passenger travel on the Holguín-Havana route

Rail transport in Cuba has suffered another blow. Just three days after the passenger train accident known as "El Espirituano" near Placetas, a freight locomotive derailed this Saturday in Villa Clara, halting the national train service covering the Holguín-Habana route for several hours.

The incident occurred at 2:50 a.m. on November 8, reported Transport Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, when freight train 83, with locomotive 52501 and 22 cars loaded with containers, derailed at kilometer 264.6 of the Central Line, near the Esperanza station in Santa Clara.

Although no injuries or significant damage to infrastructure were reported, the incident forced the suspension of traffic on the country's main railway line for more than four hours, affecting dozens of passengers traveling from Holguín to Havana.

Transportation authorities sent locomotives from Santa Clara and Jovellanos to restore service and confirmed the establishment of an investigative commission to determine the causes of the incident.

The Cuban Railway Authority apologized to passengers and stated that the locomotive has been moved to the workshops for technical inspection.

A series of accidents that worries Cubans

This new derailment occurs just three days after the train “El Espirituano” —which operates the Havana–Sancti Spíritus route— went off the track on November 5, also in Villa Clara, near the municipality of Placetas.

In that case, one of the four cars in the convoy derailed about 500 meters from the Cumbre station. Although none of the 80 passengers were injured, it was necessary to transport them by bus to their final destination in Sancti Spíritus.

Trains that derail, passengers who wait

Derailments have become increasingly frequent in Cuba, affecting both freight and passenger trains. Experts and users agree on pointing out the deplorable state of the railway infrastructure, the lack of maintenance, electrical and mechanical issues, and the scarcity of materials as the main causes of this chain of accidents.

This is compounded by acts of vandalism affecting the lines and stations, along with the overall instability of a system that was once a symbol of modernity and now barely manages to maintain its operations.

While the government promises preventive measures and new investments, passengers continue to travel in fear of being stranded in the middle of the country.