[NYTr] Cuba to Develop Railroad System with Venezuelan Help

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN)
http://ainch.ain.cu/mailman/listinfo/ingles


Cuba to Develop Railroad System with Venezuelan Assistance

Havana, Sept 25 (acn) Cuba and Venezuela took another step in the area 
of bilateral cooperation with the approval of a Venezuelan credit to 
finance the recovery of the railroad infrastructure on the island.

According to Granma news daily, representatives from the Venezuelan 
Bank for Socio-Economic Development (BANDES) sealed the accord that 
will grant Cuba $100 million to improve railways, railroad signposting 
and communications.

The Cuban Transportation Minister, Jose Luis Sierra Blanco, noted that 
this agreement will allow Cuba to increase the speed of trains from 40 
to 100 km/h. The capacity of transportation as well as the Cuban rail 
fleet will also increase as a result of this initiative, he added.

Sierra recalled that the Cuban railroad system suffered a significant 
deterioration during the harsh economic crisis of the 1990s and 
stressed that, with the recovery of the national economy, it is 
necessary to revert that status of deterioration.

He also explained that Cuban experts work in Venezuela to restore and 
to expand the railroad system in the South American nation.