Russian Railways (RZD) is moving forward with plans to sign a USD 2 billion contract on a project to upgrade railway infrastructure in Cuba later this year, the Russian News Agency reported. According to the company’s first vice-president, Alexander Misharin, the project is intended to modernize the Cuban railway system.
The announcement of plans to modernize Cuba’s railway structure in conjunction with Russian Railways was first made earlier this year. The plan will upgrade and repair existing railways, and also proposes the construction of several new lines. It will also upgrade communications and signaling equipment to match modern operational standards.
„We’ve defined the scale of works on Cuba’s railway upgrade and signed a protocol with the Cuban Union Railways worth EUR 1.8 billion (USD 2 billion),” Misharin said, adding that the contract stipulates running lines’ upgrade, repairs, and equipment supplies. „Currently we have to agree the terms of financing,” Misharin added, quoted by Itar Tass.
Earlier iin 2017, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of RZD International, Oleg Nikolayev, said the plan is to upgrade 1,100 kilometers of rail tracks on three main lines in Cuba. Russian Railways are viewing an opportunity of opening its branch in Cuba, he added. The National Cuban railway company, Ferrocarriles de Cuba, operates roughly 4,184 kilometers of rail through the full length of the island.
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