A video posted on social media this Saturday shows a segment of the railway line in Bayamo, the capital of Granma province, completely blocked by trash and debris, in an emergency situation that poses risks to human lives.
"We are currently causing an accident here where human lives may be at risk. Look at how the line is completely blocked, please. Someone needs to take action," is heard in the 59-second clip shared on Facebook by the user José Alberto Tamayo Díaz.
The author points out that more than half of the railway cruise is in that condition, with debris placed directly on the tracks where the train connecting Bayamo to Havana runs.
The neighbors who commented on the video agree that the scene is not new.
"I see it every day, even debris in the street. It's true that they don't collect the waste, but that doesn't justify so much negligence, where many people can be affected," wrote Vivian Infante.
Juan Luis Maceo Núñez, who lives nearby, described the situation as something that is now considered "normal" in the area, with people rummaging through garbage at the risk of contracting diseases, and frequent fires whose polluted smoke reaches the city center.
"Bayamo was a benchmark for cleanliness throughout the country. At this moment, it is, and I don't want to be mistaken, among the dirtiest cities in Cuba," said Maceo Núñez.
Jorge Luis Ríos Frías was more direct. "It hurts to see a city that was a benchmark in the country for the cleanliness of its streets, now turned into a massive dump," he emphasized.
The decline is significant considering that, according to the official Cuban press, Bayamo had 667 daily cleaning workers in January 2019, including 339 street sweepers who began work at 3:00 a.m., and it was considered a national example of urban organization.
Some commentators directly pointed to the regime as responsible. "You know well who is to blame for all of this, but it’s easier to play dumb and look the other way," wrote Daniel DN. Martínez Tiana.
On the other hand, he pointed out that "this corresponds to the organizations, community, health, and government; from there will come the maintenance of hygiene and consequently civic discipline. Without the former, there is no existence of the latter."
The crisis is not exclusive to Bayamo. In August 2025, the Comandante Tony Santiago Railway Construction Company reported the uncontrolled increase of garbage dumped on the railway infrastructure throughout the country and warned that the waste affects the ballast, fastenings, ties, and embankments, and can lead to accidents or prolonged disruptions.
The Havana-Bayamo train was rehabilitated on December 16, 2025 after the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, which affected 21.5 km of tracks in Granma, but since February 2026, it has been operating in "emergency mode" with reduced frequency to every eight days due to fuel shortages.
The pattern is repeated in other provinces. The former Holguín-Gibara railway station, one of the oldest railway terminals in Cuba, established in the 19th century, now appears to have been turned into a dumping ground for garbage and debris, as shown in a video recently shared on Facebook.
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