The reactivation of two railway routes in Ciego de Ávila, including the Morón–Camagüey route with a ticket price of 1,500 pesos, has sparked debate among Cubans about the real cost of traveling within the country.
According to the notice on the Facebook page of the Majagua Railroad Station, the Morón-Ciego de Ávila-Morón route began operating on September 23 with four daily frequencies, and a fare of 300 pesos from Morón to the provincial capital, with stops in Pina and Ceballos.
He also announced that the Morón-Camagüey-Morón train service was scheduled to start on Friday, with a fare of 1,500 CUP for the one-way trip.
That same Friday, a video shared on the Facebook page of user Rey Dry Belen Chamorro showed the passage of the train convoy through Ciego de Ávila.
Both publications gathered hundreds of comments in total, with a significant number focused on the ticket price.
Some labeled it as "abusive" and questioned whether a salaried worker, retiree, or pensioner could bear that cost with their income.
"Is it a ticket to Ciego or a flight to Paris?" one user joked, while another commented that the price is too high for a salaried worker.
Doubts also arose regarding the condition of the cars and the quality of the service. Several users inquired whether the carriages would be in proper condition, with seats in good shape and cleanliness, while others stated that the cars are in "terrible" condition despite charging fares that, according to their comments, would be expected for a higher quality service.
There were also complaints about the information regarding the schedules after the Majagua Train Station itself announced that one of the planned trips for the afternoon would not take place and attributed the situation to "poor information."
Other users highlighted the impact that the price may have on those who need to use the train frequently. One commentator noted that some people rely on this route to get to their workplaces daily and asked whether they would be able to continue paying 300 CUP for each trip.
Students and retirees were also mentioned, while other users positively evaluated the return of the service in light of the high prices of private transportation.
The return of these routes comes after months of severe restrictions on rail and motor transportation in the province. In March, the seven train routes in Ciego de Ávila were halted due to a lack of fuel, while only two out of 135 state bus routes remained operational.
Since June 18, the Ministry of Transport has reduced train services to the east to one departure every 16 days and national bus services to three frequencies per week, cuts that have resulted in a 74% decline in monthly operations.
However, in August, the Ministry itself acknowledged that even those minimal frequencies could not be guaranteed due to the lack of diesel.
The entity then explained that there had been disruptions in train schedules due to not having the necessary fuel available in a timely manner for the services.
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