National Railway Company of Cuba

The 1,024 kilometers (636 mi) Central railway runs from Havana to Santiago de Cuba in the eastern region.

Other long-distance passenger services link Havana to Pinar del Río (western railway), Cienfuegos (South branch), Sancti Spíritus, Bayamo-Manzanillo and Guantánamo.

Cuba's railway history began on October 12, 1834, when the Queen Regent of Spain, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, approved the building of the first line.

Havana had its first streetcar (Ferrocarril Urbano de la Habana) when its service commenced on February 3, 1859.

These trains provided medium-speed self-propelled (diesel) four-car service on the main line between Havana and Santiago de Cuba.

Also after World War II, a large network of diesel intercity buses was created with four or five major carriers competing in the east–west corridor between Havana and the provinces to the east.

[citation needed] The destruction of President Fulgencio Batista's so-called armoured train (it seems to have been an ordinary train carrying soldiers and weapons) by the revolutionaries in the Battle of Santa Clara in December 1958 was an important stepping stone in the Cuban Revolution.

After the revolution in 1959, the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Cuba was created by nationalizing the private and public railway systems.

MINAZ continued to operate a separate railway system, mainly to transport sugar products.

The work was expected to help increase the average speed of trains on Cuba's railways from 40 to 100 kilometers per hour (25 to 62 mph).

As part of the agreement, Cuban engineers will also work on similar projects on Venezuela's rail network.

[6] In October 2007, the Cuban railways ordered 200 passenger and 550 freight cars from Iranian manufacturer Wagon Pars.

[8] Improved Relations between Cuba and the United States has increased interest in Cuban rail travel.

In September Russian Railways subsidiary RZD International signed a contract for modernizing the system.