This past weekend, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, Cuba's Minister of Transportation, announced the return of the "beach train," designed to make it easier for residents of Havana to access the Eastern Beaches during the summer months. This initiative emerges amid a severe transportation crisis that has persisted for years, continually worsening and leaving millions of Cubans with scant mobility options.
According to the Minister's announcement on Facebook, the train will depart from the freight yard at the Central Station in Egido and Arsenal, Old Havana. It will consist of a locomotive pulling three cars, each with 48 seats. Operating from Tuesday through Sunday, with Monday reserved for maintenance, it will make 14 stops, traveling from the heart of Havana to Guanabo.
The train is scheduled to leave the freight yard at 9:00 a.m., reaching the Eastern Beaches by 10:32 a.m. The return journey begins at 6:05 p.m., arriving back at 7:40 p.m. The fare is set at 35 Cuban pesos (CUP) per person, per trip. While this announcement has been hailed as a collaborative achievement between the Ministry of Transportation and the Havana government, the train offers only a minimal respite from a dire reality: the scarcity and deterioration of the national public transportation system.
Struggles of Daily Commuters
With most urban bus routes operating below capacity—or halted due to fuel shortages or lack of parts—residents of Havana face endless lines, long waits under the sun, exorbitant prices in the private transport sector, and the inability to plan their daily activities. The train, with its limited capacity of just 144 passengers per trip, fails to structurally address a crisis that impacts the general mobility of the population.
A Tale of Two Cubas
While the government promotes the train as an "affordable" option, the alternative—Transtur's Habana Bus Tour—charges $10 per person for air-conditioned, frequent, and "hop-on, hop-off" tourist services. This dual reality highlights the growing disparity between those who receive remittances or have access to foreign currency and the majority of Cubans, whose peso salaries fall short of covering basic needs, let alone transportation in foreign currencies.
The fact that a state-run enterprise offers internal transport services in foreign currency, while the rest of the population must settle for a train, underscores the inequity of the current system. It reveals a clear preference for tourism and foreign exchange over the urgent needs of citizens.
Recurring Symbol of Hardship
Every year, the capital's authorities offer this service to Havana's residents, which for many has become more of a symbol of hardship than progress. Last year, a medium-sized locomotive with four cars accommodated approximately 200 passengers, over 50 more seats than offered this summer. Old carriages, lacking air conditioning and with limited frequency, stand in stark contrast to the official narrative attempting to sell it as a "popular alternative" for the summer.
On social media, numerous users have questioned the effectiveness of this solution. "If they spent less money on building empty hotels, we'd have plenty of carriages," a young man commented on the Minister's Facebook wall. Another user recalled an incident from last year: "I was stranded for over four hours in the middle of nowhere with the train broken down."
"Thankfully, they didn't add a second trip, otherwise it would be a waste of fuel," quipped one resident. "The train conditions are dire, the heat is stifling, and the tracks are in terrible shape. In the 21st century, Cuba's railway conditions are a thousand times worse than in the 19th century," criticized another.
The Government's Out-of-Touch Rhetoric
The train's return to the beaches might seem like a positive step, but it also highlights the disconnect between government rhetoric and the country's actual conditions. While it is announced as an economical option for the public, the underlying reality is stark: there isn't enough transport, buses barely run, and dollar services have become the norm for what used to be a basic right.
Rather than planning a comprehensive recovery of the public transportation system, the government opts for partial, poorly-equipped solutions with very limited capacity, while reserving comfortable and modern options for those who can pay in dollars. Mobility, like other essential services in Cuba, has become a luxury for the majority. In this context, a train with only three cars seems more like an anecdote than a solution.
Understanding Cuba's Transportation Crisis
Why was the beach train reintroduced in Cuba?
The beach train was reintroduced to provide Havana residents with an affordable way to access the Eastern Beaches during summer, amidst a severe transportation crisis in the country.
What are the challenges faced by Havana’s public transportation?
Havana's public transportation faces challenges like limited bus routes, fuel shortages, lack of parts, and long wait times, exacerbated by insufficient infrastructure and resources.
How does the Transtur service differ from the beach train?
The Transtur service differs from the beach train as it offers a tourist-oriented, air-conditioned "hop-on, hop-off" service for $10, contrasting with the more basic and cheaper option of the beach train.