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Train number 17, arriving from Havana and heading to Manzanillo, was blocked on the outskirts of Bayamo on Wednesday afternoon when a severe local storm knocked down a high tension pole, preventing the train from entering the city.
Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, the first secretary of the Communist Party in Granma, appeared at the location and interacted directly with the stranded travelers, according to a post on her social media.
Passengers had been traveling for 24 hours at the time of the incident, as the train had departed from the capital on Tuesday. The convoy was carrying approximately 900 people, most of whom were headed to locations on the eastern coast of Cuba.
In response to the passengers' complaints, who were asking why a bus evacuation similar to those in other cases wasn't being organized, the communist leader provided an explanation that highlights the precariousness of the system.
"We explained that this train was carrying 900 people plus luggage, and most of them were from the coast. Under these conditions, it was not possible due to the fuel shortage and the number of people to transport," acknowledged Ortiz Barceló.
Local authorities remained with those affected until the Electric Company resolved the issue of the fallen pole, allowing the train to resume its journey.
The incident occurred on the same day that train number 13 Santiago de Cuba–Havana derailed in Omaja, Las Tunas, also with around 900 people on board, with no injuries reported.
The evacuation of the passengers from the derailed train in Las Tunas was completed that same Wednesday with the support of buses from the province of Holguín.
Both simultaneous incidents reflect the collapse of the Cuban railway system, which has been operating in emergency mode since February 2026, with reduced frequencies to one departure per week for each destination.
The structural deterioration is severe: 67% of the tracks require maintenance, only 12 to 14 of the 34 necessary locomotives are operational, and only 15,000 concrete sleepers are financed out of the 60,000 to 80,000 needed each year.
Starting June 18, the Bayamo-Manzanillo route will operate only one round trip every two weeks, as announced by the Minister of Transportation on May 15.
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