The provincial government of Las Tunas announced through its profile on Facebook the resumption of passenger train services between that territory and Camagüey starting this Friday, with three trips per week and a ticket price of 600 pesos (CUP) per journey.
The train will depart from Las Tunas at 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while the return from Camagüey is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
The authorities also established differentiated fares for passengers disembarking at the stops of Bartle, Galvis, Palo Seco, Imar, Hatuey, and Siboney.
The announcement also includes the restoration of the urban train to El Cornito, where maintenance work on the tracks is being carried out in preparation to begin operations next week. The service will cost 60 CUP for adults and 30 CUP for children.
The reactivation of the link between Las Tunas and Camagüey occurs after other recent railway restorations in the region.
At the end of September, the Morón-Camagüey train resumed operations, with a fare of 1,500 CUP, while days later, the service between Camagüey and Santa Cruz del Sur was restarted, with fares of up to 718 CUP and four weekly frequencies.
In this context, the 600 CUP for the Las Tunas-Camagüey route represents about 19% of the national minimum wage, which has been set at 3,210 CUP since July.
Although the fare is lower than that of the other two recently reinstated routes, it represents a significant expense compared to the minimum wage set for Cuban workers.
The Cuban railway system is experiencing its worst crisis in decades. In July, trains operated just 16 monthly services compared to 62 at its historical peak, a decline of 74%, with only 12 of the 34 necessary locomotives in operation and 67% of the tracks in urgent need of maintenance.
The public reaction to the announcement was mixed. Many celebrated the return of the service as a vital alternative to private transportation.
"Very good news, as this train solves a lot for the population; blessings and may we always be able to count on that service," wrote a user on Facebook.
Others, however, pointed out the sore spot regarding the state sector's dependence on fuel managed by private entities.
"This state-owned company now relies on the private sector to manage fuel. 'Where is the national oil production?' questioned another commentator."
There were also many complaints about routes that are still without service. "These really are a great opportunity for thousands of people who need it; I hope they can continue to expand in other necessary directions as well, such as Las Tunas-Holguín and Las Tunas-Menéndez-Majibacoa," said a local resident.
Others requested that the routes to Manatí, Chaparra, and Menéndez be addressed, paths that, according to the commentators themselves, "are never prioritized."
The generalized increase in train fares is due to the mechanism of the "selective operational card," which finances the purchase of diesel in foreign currency and transfers that cost in national currency to the price of the ticket, explained recently the deputy director of the Union of Railways of Cuba in Guantánamo to the provincial press.
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