Russia’s RZD to Modernize Cuban Railroad Infrastructure

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has just announced the relaunch of the project to modernize the Cuban railroad infrastructure.

RZD International LLC and the Union of Railways of Cuba originally signed a contract for reconstruction and modernization of the railroads in a ceremony on October 3, 2019, during the official visit of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev. Sergey Pavlov, the Director General of RZD International and Eduardo Hernández, the Director General of Railways of Cuba, also signed the agreement.

The estimated cost of the project is $2.3 billion and will be fully funded by Russia.

The signed agreement includes the design, repair and modernization of over 1,000 k.m. of railroad with new signaling systems at stations, hauls and level crossings. In addition, RZD will design and construct an Integrated Traffic Control Center.

RZD International will supply Cuba with the materials, construction, track machines and equipment necessary for the modernization of the railroad infrastructure. The company will provide retraining and advanced training programs to 600 Cuban railway staff specialists.

The implementation of the railroad project will result in a boost of average train speeds up to 120 km/h, as well as an increase in cargo and passenger traffic by 1.7 and 3 times respectively.

Updating the Cuban railroad system is a massive contribution to the development of the economy of the Island.

The expected duration of RZD’s Cuban railroad infrastructure project is 10 years.