The Cuban plan to upgrade to its railway system and invest about 1.3 billion dollars in the modernization until 2021 is well underway with the recent purchase of new railway cars.
Prensa Latina is reporting that the Cuban firm Tradex and the Russian company Tvervagonnostroitelny Zavod have signed a deal for the supply and delivery of 68 railway cars.
This follows a report from the Cuban news website ACN in September that a rail contract was signed in Russia at the Cuban Embassy for “363 rail cars in total, including 163 hopper wagons” to assist in the development of the sugar industry.
The contract was signed by Jose Antonio Arias Garcia, director of TRADEX, the Cuban Import Company and Andrey Vodopyanov, director of business development for the Russian company RM-Rail, supplier of railway equipment.
Earlier in February of 2015, EVRAZ’s West-Siberian Steel Plant (EVRAZ ZSMK) was set to transport 4,500t of 25m and 12m-long R50-N rails also to the General Transport Procurement Company (TRADEX) in Cuba.
The new rails will be used for modernization of the existing access railroads as part of the Cuban Government’s programme for infrastructure development.
Prensa Latina reported:
“Cuba will be buying passenger cars from Russia as part of its railway development program.
Diplomatic sources in Moscow said the Russian company Tvervagonnostroitelny Zavod and the Cuban Tradex had signed a contract for Russian supply of 68 railway cars. The signing of the accord took place in the context of the official visit to Russia by Cuban Transportation Vice Minister Eduardo Rodriguez.
The Russian side described the signing as a display of readiness on the part of Russia to effectively participate in the Cuba’s economic and social development.”
