Transportation in Cuba
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Transportation in Cuba is the system of railways, roads, airports, waterways, ports and harbours in
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
:


Railways

* ''total:'' 8,285 km * ''
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
:'' 8,125 km gauge (105 km electrified) * '' narrow gauge:'' 160 km of gauge. Cuba built the first railway system in the Spanish empire, before the 1848 start in the Iberian peninsula. While the rail infrastructure dates from colonial and early republican times, passenger service along the principal Havana to Santiago corridor is increasingly reliable and popular with tourists who can purchase tickets in Cuban convertible pesos. As with most public transport in Cuba, many of the vehicles used are second hand. With the order of 12 new Chinese locomotives in 2006, built specifically for Cuban Railways at China Northern Locomotives and Rolling Stock Works, services have been improving in reliability. Those benefiting the most are long-distance freight services with the French train Havana-Santiago being the only passenger train using one of the new Chinese locomotives regularly. In 2019, the Cuban railways received the first delivery of new Chinese-built coaches, and new services with these began in July 2019. Metro systems are not present in the island, although a suburban rail network exists in
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
. Urban tramways were in operation between 1858 and 1954, initially as horse-drawn systems. In the early 20th century electric trolley or storage battery powered tramways were introduced in seven cities. Of these overhead wire systems were adopted in Havana, Guanabacoa,
Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
,
Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especial ...
,
Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 321,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by S ...
and Santiago de Cuba.


Roads

The total length of Cuba's highways is 60,858 km, including *''paved:'' 29,820 km (including 915 km of expressways)Source: ''Mapa de Carreteras de Cuba'' (Road map of Cuba, including the roads officially classified as ''Autopistas''). Ediciones GEO,
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
2011 -
*''unpaved:'' 31,038 km (1999 est.) Expressways ( autopistas) include: *the Autopista Nacional (A1) from Havana to Santa Clara and Sancti Spiritus, with additional short sections near
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
and Guantanamo *the Autopista Este-Oeste (A4) from Havana to
Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños'' ...
*the Autopista del Mediodia from Havana to San Antonio de los Baños *an autopista from Havana to
Melena del Sur Melena del Sur is a town and a municipality located south of the Mayabeque Province, in Cuba. Bordered on the north and northwest by San José de las Lajas, on the east by the municipality of Güines, and west by Batabanó and by the south by th ...
*an autopista from Havana to Mariel *the Havana ring road ( es, 1er anillo de La Habana, links=no), which starts at a tunnel under the entrance to Havana Harbor *the section of the Via Blanca from
Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
to
Varadero Varadero (), also referred to as ''Playa Azul'' (Blue Beach), is a resort town in the province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero Beach was rated one of the world's best beaches in ...
(toll road) *an autopista from
Nueva Gerona Nueva Gerona is a Cuban city, capital of the Isla de la Juventud special municipality and province. As of 2012, its population was 59,049. History The city was founded in 1830 by Francisco Dionisio Vives, who was the Spanish governor of Cuba a ...
to Santa Fe, in the
Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; en, Isle of Youth) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Islan ...
Older roads include the Carretera Central, and the Via Blanca from Havana to Matanzas.


Long-distance and inter-municipality buses in Cuba

There are several national bus companies in Cuba. Viazul operates a fleet of modern and comfortable coaches on longer distance routes designed principally for tourists. Schedules, prices, and ticket booking can be done online, at any of the major international airports or National Terminals across Cuba. There are also other bus lines operated by tourism companies. AstroBus, a bus service in Cuban National Pesos, designed to bring comfortable air-conditioned coaches to Cuban locals at an affordable price. The AstroBus lines operate with modern Chinese Yutong buses, and are accessible to Cuban Residents of Cuba with their ID Card, and is payable in Cuba Pesos. Routes that have benefited most so far are those from Havana to each of the 13 provincial capitals of the country.


Urban buses

In Havana, urban transportation used to be provided by a colorful selection of buses imported from the Soviet Union or Canada. Many of these vehicles were second hand, such as the 1,500 decommissioned Dutch buses that the Netherlands donated to Cuba in the mid-1990s as well as GM fishbowl buses from Montreal. Despite the United States trade embargo, American-style
yellow school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus ...
es (imported second-hand from Canada) are also increasingly common sights. Since 2008, service on seven key lines in and out of the city is provided by Chinese Zhengzhou Yutong Buses. These replaced the famous ''camellos'' ("camels" or "dromedaries", after their "humps") trailer buses that hauled as many as two hundred passengers in a passenger-carrying trailer. After the upgrading of Seville's public bus fleet to CNG-powered vehicles, many of the decommissioned ones were donated to the city of Havana. These bright orange buses still display the name of ''Transportes Urbanos de Sevilla, S.A.M.'', their former owner, and Seville's coat of arms as a sign of gratitude. In recent years (2016), urban transport in Havana consists entirely of modern Yutong diesel buses. Seville and Ikarus buses are gone.


Automobiles

Since 2009, Cuba has imported sedans from Chinese automaker Geely to serve as police cars, taxis and rental vehicles. Previously, the Soviet Union supplied Volgas, Moskvichs, and Ladas, as well as heavy trucks like the ZIL and the
KrAZ KrAZ ( uk, Кременчуцький автомобільний завод, ''Kremenchutskyi Avtomobilnyi Zavod'', Kremenchuk Automobile Plant, АвтоКрА́З or AvtoKrAZ) is a Ukrainian factory that produces trucks and other special-purpos ...
; and Cuba also bought cars from European and Asian companies. In 2004, it was estimated that there were some 173,000 cars in Cuba.


Old American cars in Cuba

Most new vehicles came to Cuba from the United States until the 1960
United States embargo against Cuba The United States embargo against Cuba prevents American businesses, and businesses organized under U.S. law or majority-owned by American citizens, from conducting trade with Cuban interests. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern hist ...
ended importation of both cars and their parts. As many as 60,000 American vehicles are in use, nearly all in private hands. Of Cuba's vintage American cars, many have been modified with newer engines, disc brakes and other parts, often scavenged from Soviet cars, and most bear the marks of decades of use. Pre-1960 vehicles remain the property of their original owners and descendants, and can be sold to other Cubans providing the proper ''traspaso'' certificate is in place. However, the old American cars on the road today have "relatively high inefficiencies" due in large part to the lack of modern technology. This resulted in increased fuel consumption as well as adding to the economic plight of their owners. With these inefficiencies, noticeable drop in travel occurred from an "average of nearly 3000 km/year in the mid-1980s to less than 800 km/year in 2000–2001". As the Cuban people try to save as much money as possible, when traveling is done, the cars are usually loaded past the maximum allowable weight and travel on the decaying roads, resulting in even more abuse to the already under-maintained vehicles.


Hitchhiking and carpooling

As a result of the " Special Period" in 1991 (a period of food and energy shortages caused by the loss of the Soviet Union as a trading partner), hitchhiking and carpooling became important parts of Cuba's transportation system and society in general. In 1999, an article in ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine claimed "In Cuba ..hitchhiking is custom. Hitchhiking is essential. Hitchhiking is what makes Cuba move."


Changes in the 2000s

For many years, Cubans could only acquire new cars with special permission. In 2011, the Cuban government legalized the purchase and sale of used post-1959 autos. In December 2013, Cubans were allowed to buy new cars from state-run dealerships - previously this had not been permitted. In 2020, this was further extended with cars being sold in convertible currencies.


Waterways

*
Cauto River The Cauto River or Río Cauto is the longest river in Cuba, as well as the longest river in the Caribbean. Located in the southeast of the island, it is one of two navigable rivers in Cuba, the other being the Sagua la Grande River. Overview The ...
*
Sagua la Grande River Sagua la Grande River is a river of northern Cuba that flows in Villa Clara Province. It is the second longest river in Cuba, and is one of two navigable rivers along with Cauto River. The mouth is located at Isabela de Sagua, in the municipality of ...


Ports and harbors

*
Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especial ...
*
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
* Manzanillo * Mariel *
Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
* Nuevitas * Santiago de Cuba


Merchant marine

:''Total:'' 3 ships


Ships by type

*
Cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
s (1) *
Passenger ship A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...
(1) * Refrigerated cargo ships (1) :''Registered in other countries:'' 5


Airlines

Besides the state owned airline Cubana ( Cubana de Aviación), the two other major Cuban airlines are Aero Caribbean and Aerogaviota, both of whom operate modern European and Russian aircraft. One other airline is Aerotaxi.


Airports

* Total: 133


Airports with paved runways

*''total:'' 64 *''over 3,047 m:'' 7 *''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 10 *''1,524 to 2,437 m:'' 16 *''914 to 1,523 m:'' 4 *''under 914 m:'' 27


Airports with unpaved runways

*''total:'' 69 *''914 to 1,523 m:'' 11 *''under 914 m:'' 58


See also

*
Infrastructure of Cuba Cuban infrastructure is significant and includes: massive Spanish fortifications built in principal ports (e.g. El Morro castles in Havana (1589) and Santiago; Castillo San Salvador de la Punta; (finished by 1630); La Fuerza(finished 1577); San ...
* Trailer bus *
Transit bus Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...


Gallery

Image:DirkvdM yank tank yellow.jpg, 1952
Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
in Havana Image:DirkvdM yank tank blue-red.jpg, 1958
Plymouth Belvedere Plymouth Belvedere is a series of American automobile models made by Plymouth from 1954 until 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the 1951 model year. In 1954 the Belvedere re ...
in Havana File:Antique Ford Truck, Havana Jan 2014, image by Marjorie Kaufman.jpg, Antique Ford Truck, Jan 2014 File:Antique car, Havana, Jan 2014, image by Marjorie Kaufman.jpg,
Edsel Edsel is a discontinued division and brand of automobiles that was marketed by the Ford Motor Company from the 1958 to the 1960 model years. Deriving its name from Edsel Ford, son of company founder Henry Ford, Edsels were developed in an effort ...
Pacer in Havana, Jan 2014 File:Pink Chevvy, Havana Jan 2014, image by Marjorie Kaufman.jpg, Pink Chevy, Jan 2014 File:Cuba yank tank.jpg, 1956 Ford in Trinidad, Cuba. File:Varadero_-_Cuba_(40276279854).jpg, 1959
Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
in
Varadero Varadero (), also referred to as ''Playa Azul'' (Blue Beach), is a resort town in the province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero Beach was rated one of the world's best beaches in ...
File:Wołga,_Kuba.jpg, Purple Volga station wagon, May 2018 File:Skoda Fabia Cuba 4575.JPG,
Škoda Fabia The Škoda Fabia is a supermini car produced by Czech manufacturer Škoda Auto since 1999. It is the successor of the Škoda Felicia, which was discontinued in 2001. The Fabia was available in hatchback, estate (named Fabia Combi) and saloon ( ...
I (left) and Moskvitch-2141 "Aleko" (right), Feb 2009 File:Classic_cars_in_Cuba,_Varadero_-_Laslovarga003.JPG, A
Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...
car in Varadero File:Hotel_Parque_Central,_Havana.jpg,
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. Th ...
car in Havana, May 2018 File:Automobile à La Havane (14).jpg,
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
W120 in Havana, Jan 2015 File:Alter Opel Rekord P1 auf Cuba - Flickr - 02ide.jpg, Opel Rekord in Pinar de Río, Nov 2008 File:AutoLaHabanaCuba-04678.jpg, Suzuki Grand Vitara in Havana, Jan 2017 File:Fiat 125 - Havana.jpg,
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
125 in Havana, May 2018 File:Lada,_Trinidad.jpg, Lada-2103 in Trinidad File:KrAZ_255,_Cuba.jpg, KrAZ-255 truck, Dec 2016 File:ZiŁ,_Cienfuegos.jpg, ZiL-130 water tank truck in
Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especial ...
File:B176286.jpg, Ex-NHZ Holland
Den Oudsten Den Oudsten Bussen B.V. was a Dutch coachbuilder and components manufacturer. The company was founded in 1926 by a local carriage-builder, Marinus den Oudsten. Its headquarters were just outside the city of Woerden. It eventually ceased all ac ...
bodied
DAF Daf ( fa, دف) also known as Dâyere and Riq is a Middle Eastern (mainly Iranian) frame drum musical instrument, used in popular and classical music in South and Central Asia. It is also used in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbe ...
MB230 bus in Havana File:Transport_(3055159679).jpg, GMC school bus, Oct 2008 File:B107835.jpg, Viazul Yutong ZK6120A coach, Feb 2020 File:MAZ105.jpg,
MAZ Maz or MAZ may refer to: * IATA code for Eugenio María de Hostos Airport, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico * Minsk Automobile Plant, abbreviated in Belarusian as MAZ * Myc-associated zinc finger protein, a protein encoded by the ''MAZ'' gene * Maz, a villa ...
-105 bus in Havana File:Havana,_Cuba_city_bus.jpg, Yutong ZK6180HGC articulated bus in Havana File:Cienfuegos train station2.jpg,
Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especial ...
railroad station, Feb 2019 File:Siguaney Ferkeltaxi.jpg, Ex- DB VT 2.09 railcar at Sigüaney


References


External links


Cubana AirlinesAero-CaribbeanAero-GaviotaViazul long distance coachesBus and train timetableHershey Electric Railroad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport In Cuba