Here is the
timetable for
the main Havana - Santa Clara - Camagüey - Santiago de Cuba line, and
the branch lines to Sancti Spiritus, Holguin, Cienfuegos, Moron,
Bayamo and Guantanamo. Information on Cuban train services is
difficult to confirm, so treat this as a guide, and
check exact times locally. The shortage of fuel in Cuba can
sometimes affect buses and local trains, but these mainline trains
have priority and are generally reliable. Fares
for foreigners are also shown below.
Havana ► Santa Clara ► Camagüey ► Santiago de Cuba
|
|
Train
number: |
43 |
19 |
33 |
11 |
35 |
31 |
3 * |
37 |
13 |
15 |
17 |
|
See note
below: |
C |
C |
R |
B |
R |
Daily |
A |
R |
C |
C |
C |
|
Havana (Estación Central) |
06:20 |
07:30 |
14:00 |
15:15
|
16:45
|
17:35 |
19:00 |
18:45c |
20:25
|
19:00
|
21:45
|
|
Matanzas |
07:28 |
| |
15:18 |
16:27 |
18:07 |
18:54 |
| |
20:05 |
22:10 |
20:45 |
23:31 |
|
Santa Clara |
11:19 |
| |
17:37 |
19:36 |
20:28 |
21:15 |
22:15 |
| |
01:00 |
23:28 |
03:07 |
|
Cienfuegos |
| |
18:35 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
23:40 |
| |
| |
| |
|
Sancti Spiritus |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
06:00
|
|
Ciego de Avila |
13:36 |
|
| |
21:56
|
22:32 |
23:16 |
| |
|
03:27 |
02:30 |
|
|
Moron |
| |
|
| |
| |
23:10
|
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
|
|
Camagüey |
15:27 |
|
20:50 |
00:05 |
|
01:22 |
03:00 |
|
05:40 |
05:11 |
|
|
Bayamo |
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
|
10:30 |
| |
|
|
Manzanillo |
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
|
11:55 |
| |
|
|
Cacocúm |
18:27 |
|
|
03:10 |
|
04:23 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Holguin |
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
|
|
09:30
|
|
|
Guantanamo |
| |
|
|
06:50d |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Santiago de Cuba |
21:00 |
|
|
05:15d |
|
06:10 |
11:15 |
|
|
|
|
* = recommended train. See Note A.
c = arrives/departs Havana Le Coubre
station, a modern station a few hundred yards behind Havana Central.
d = serves Santiago & Guantanamo on
alternate days.
All trains, even overnight ones, only have
seats - there are no
couchettes or sleeping-cars in Cuba.
Note A: 'Tren Francés' (the French Train). This is the
recommended
train to take, air-conditioned and contrary to what some guidebooks
say, quite reliable. It runs daily at peak periods of the year
(believed to mean Summer, Christmas & Easter),
and on every second day at other times of the year, on odd dates (1st,
3rd, 5th etc. of each month) from Havana to Santiago and on even dates
(2nd, 4th, 6th etc.) from Santiago to
Havana. It is a fast
service using comfortable air-conditioned stainless steel
coaches with reclining seats bought second-hand from France. It
offers two classes of seating, basic leatherette 'especial' and quite
luxurious (albeit grubby) 'primera
especial'. See the information &
photographs below. Note B: Air conditioned train with second hand coaches from
Mexico. Eastbound, this train runs Havana - Cacocúm- Santiago on
even dates, and Havana - Cacocúm - Guantanamo on odd dates.
Westbound, it runs from Santiago - Cacocúm - Havana on odd dates and
Guantanamo - Cacocúm - Havana on even dates. Primera class seats
only, there are no sleepers or couchettes in Cuba.
Note
C: Runs every second day only. Please confirm the
running of this train when you get to Cuba.
Note
D: Runs every second day, on even dates (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.
of each month) Havana to Sancti Spiritus, on odd dates Sancti Spiritus
to Havana. Primera class seats only.
Note
R: Daily. Fast air-conditioned railcar, either Canadian
(see the pictures below)
or Spanish.
Santiago de Cuba ► Camagüey ► Santa Clara ► Havana
|
|
Train
number: |
20 |
36 |
34 |
44 |
18 |
4 * |
38 |
14 |
16 |
12 |
32 |
|
See note
above: |
C |
R |
R |
C |
D |
A |
Daily |
C |
C |
B |
Daily |
|
Santiago de Cuba |
|
|
|
10:30 |
|
17:35 |
|
|
|
20:25d |
23:10 |
|
Guantanamo |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
18:45d |
| |
|
Holguin |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
18:15 |
| |
| |
|
Cacocúm |
|
|
|
12:54 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
22:54
|
01:00 |
|
Manzanillo |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
17:20 |
| |
| |
| |
|
Bayamo |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
19:40 |
| |
| |
| |
|
Camagüey |
|
|
06:35
|
16:34 |
|
23:10 |
|
00:25 |
23:00 |
02:15 |
03:55 |
|
Moron |
|
05:40 |
| |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Ciego de Avila |
|
06:25
|
08:01 |
18:20 |
|
| |
|
02:31 |
01:21 |
04:00 |
05:34 |
|
Sancti Spiritus |
|
| |
| |
| |
21:00 |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Cienfuegos |
07:00 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
02:00 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Santa Clara |
| |
08:30 |
10:00 |
21:18 |
23:55 |
04:20 |
| |
05:18 |
04:22 |
06:32 |
07:38 |
|
Matanzas |
| |
10:45 |
|
|
00:40 |
03:25 |
| |
05:32 |
| |
07:03 |
| |
| |
|
Havana Estación Central |
17:50c |
12:00 |
13:35
|
02:15 |
05:15
|
09:35
|
06:50c |
09:45
|
08:50
|
10:45
|
11:10 |
Havana ► Pinar del Rio
|
|
Pinar del Rio ► Havana
|
|
(Train number:) |
39 |
21 |
(Train number:) |
40 |
22 |
|
(Notes) |
Daily |
C |
(Notes) |
Daily |
C |
|
Havana |
17:00 |
22:35 |
Pinar del Rio |
05:10 |
08:45 |
|
Pinar del Rio |
21:10 |
04:20 |
Havana |
09:20 |
14:30 |
Note
C: Runs every second day only.
Foreigners pay higher fares than
Cubans. Foreigners used to have to pay in US dollars, but since November 2004 US dollars
are no longer accepted in Cuba and foreigners pay train fares in
'convertible
pesos'. 1 convertible peso = US$1.
One-way fares
for foreigners:
|
|
Havana -
Santiago de Cuba: |
62 convertible
pesos in
'primera especial', train 3 or 4 (Tren Francés) |
| |
50 convertible
pesos in 'especial', train 3 or 4 (Tren Francés) |
| |
30 convertible
pesos in
'primera' class, train 11 or 12 |
|
Havana -
Sancti Spiritus |
14 convertible
pesos in
'primera' on train 17 or 18 |
|
Havana -
Moron |
24 convertible
pesos in
'primera' |
|
Havana -
Pinar del Rio |
7
convertible pesos in
'primera' |
|
Havana -
Bayamo / Manzanillo |
26 convertible
pesos in
'primera' on train 13 or 14 |
|
Havana -
Guantanamo |
32 convertible
pesos in
'primera' on train 11 or 12 |
Havana (Casablanca station) - Hershey - Matanzas
An
electric railcar runs on a railway originally built by the Hershey
Corporation (the chocolate company) from Havana
(Casablanca station) to Hershey and Matanzas. To reach Havana Casablanca
station, take the ferry from across the harbour from the foot of Santa
Clara Street in Havana old town. Once on the other side,
Casablanca station is immediately west of the ferry dock,
looking more like a tram stop than a conventional station, so just
follow the overhead electric wires along the street. In Matanzas,
the Hershey railway station is about 2km from Matanzas mainline
station. Foreigners pay in convertible pesos, Havana to Hershey is
about 1.50 pesos, Havana to Matanzas about 2.8 pesos (1 convertible peso
= $1). Tickets go on sale 1 hour before departure. These times
should be the 2006 times, but always double-check train times locally.
Havana ► Matanzas
|
|
Matanzas ► Havana
|
|
Havana Casablanca |
04:43 |
08:35 |
12:39 |
17:21 |
Matanzas |
04:34 |
08:26 |
12:30 |
17:12 |
|
Hershey |
06:02 |
09:54 |
13:58 |
18:40 |
Hershey |
06:10 |
10:00 |
14:04 |
18:48 |
|
Matanzas |
07:38 |
11:28 |
15:32 |
20:16 |
Havana Casa. |
07:29 |
11:19 |
15:23 |
20:07 |
 The 'Tren Francés'
Havana-Santiago (trains 3 & 4)
Fast trains
3 & 4 (renumbered from 1 & 2 in 2007, for some reason) between Havana and Santiago now use comfortable stainless-steel
air-conditioned coaches bought second-hand from French Railways and
now known as the 'Tren Francés'. These coaches were originally
used on the premier 'Trans-Europe Express' service between Paris,
Brussels and Amsterdam before being replaced with high speed 'Thalys'
trains.
They were shipped to Cuba in 2001. There are no sleeping-cars or couchettes, just seats in two
classes - 'primera' (first class) and 'primera especial' (special
first class). 'Primera' is the old European 2nd class, with
vinyl padded seats 2-abreast on each side of the aisle. 'Primera
especial' is the old European first class, with much more space and
fabric seats arranged 2-abreast on one side of the aisle, one-abreast
on the other side, as shown in the photo below.
The train is getting a little worn and grubby, but the seats are
comfortable, there is powerful air-conditioning, a café, and even
piped music. A hostess looks after each coach. Bring your
own toilet paper..! This train is normally fairly reliable, with
up to three locomotives hauling it - in fact, if the 'Tren Francés'
runs more than an hour late, Ferrocarriles de Cuba will refund your
fare. To quote one recent traveller, "The journey from Havana to Santa Clara
was very comfortable and there were only 7 foreigners on a train full
of friendly Cubans - a marked contrast to the rather grumpy 'tourist
only' bus network."
Above right:
The hostess checks passengers' tickets boarding the 'primera
especial' coach of train number
1 from Santiago to Havana. Photo
courtesy of Peter Jackson...
Above left: On board train 1 in
'primera especial' class. It is comfortable, carpeted and
air-conditioned, although not as new or clean as when
the coaches ran between Amsterdam and Paris..! Photo
courtesy of Gregory Moreton& Alexia...
 |
|
 |
|
Above: The 'French train' from
Havana to Santiago
Photo
courtesy of Peter Jackson... |
|
Above: Primera especial
on the French train
Photo
courtesy of Peter Jackson... |
Below:
Another photo of train 1 from Havana, just
arrived at Santiago de Cuba. Photo courtesy of Scott Bradley.
Some services (shown in the timetable above
as 'Note R') are provided by railcars, either ex-Spanish Railways or stainless steel Budd
railcars bought second-hand from
VIA Rail Canada (shown below). The latter are
comfortable, carpeted, air-conditioned single-coach railcars with reclining seats,
hostess service and refreshments.
Other trains
Other
trains, such as trains 11 & 12 between Havana and Santiago
overnight, consist of older cars, in many cases bought second-hand
from Germany, Mexico or Japan. In spite of travelling
overnight, there are no sleeping-cars or sleeping accommodation of any
kind - the trains just have reclining leatherette
seats. These trains are an experience - don't expect them to be
the cleanest or best maintained trains you will see..!
|
Foreign
visitors
can buy train tickets at the special LADIS booking office on the side of Havana Estacion
Central. At other stations, you can book at the normal ticket
office. It's best to book a day or two in advance if you can.