Hershey Electric Railway

Hershey Electric Railway Overview Type Commuter rail Status Operational Locale Havana and Matanzas Provinces, Cuba Termini Havana Casablanca railway station 23°08′32″N 82°20′41″W / 23.1423°N 82.3448°W / 23.1423; -82.3448 (Havana Casablanca railway station) Matanzas Versalles railway station 23°03′08″N 81°34′27″W / 23.0521°N 81.5743°W / 23.0521; -81.5743 (Matanzas Versalles railway station) Operation Opening 1917 (Hershey railway station to Havana Casablanca railway station 1918 (Hershey railway station to Matanzas Versalles railway station) Owner Ferrocarriles de Cuba Operator(s) Ferrocarriles de Cuba Depot(s) Hershey railway station Rolling stock Brill Interurban Technical No. of tracks Single Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Hershey Electric Railway Legend Havana Casablanca to and from Cojímar to Havana La Coubre Molina from Havana la Coubre Bahia Guanabacoa from Havana la Coubre Cuadra Elisa Bacuranao Tarara-Barrera Justiz Las Playas Corona Guanabo to Playas del Este La Lima Portilla Penas Altas Elio Llerena San Francisco Milto Padron San Matias Rio Blanco La Sierra Hershey (Camilo Cienfuegos) to and from Jaruco Paula San Mateo to Rubion-Caraballo Camagoira from Santa Cruz del Norte Jibacoa San Lorenzo Calderon Concuni Armenteros Avendanos Canasi Desquite San Juan Las Canadas San Jose Nano San Esteban San Adrian San Antonio Corral Nuevo San Miguel Margot Mena Los Mangos to Santa Clara Matanzas

The Hershey Electric Railway, also known as the Hershey Railway, is a standard-gauge electric railway that runs from the suburbs of Havana, Cuba, to the town of Matanzas, approximately 92 kilometres (57 mi) to the east.^[1] There are a number of intermediate halts and a station and depot at the town of Camilo Cienfuegos, better known by its pre-revolutionary name of Hershey. The railway is the only surviving electric line in Cuba.^[2] The railway was built by The Hershey Company to transport sugar to the port of Havana. The original electric interurban cars were bought from the J. G. Brill Company, but these were replaced by cars from the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya in the 1990s.^[3][4]

Overview

Train waiting to depart at Havana Casablanca station

There are usually four trains per day from Havana Casablanca to Matanzas, but the service is irregular and journeys may be truncated without prior notice.^[2] The main stops are at Guanabo, Hershey, San Mateo, Jibaco and Matanzas, but there are numerous intermediate halts serviced on demand. There are four branches from the main line in current use, running to Playas del Este, Jaruco, Bainoa and Santa Cruz del Norte. These are rarely used since 2000, but in the summer months, diesel hauled excursion trains run from Havana's La Coubre station to Playas del Este, a popular destination for city dwellers. Other branches exists but have not been used in recent years. When the Hershey line was constructed, the main railway operator in Havana province, United Railways, refused to allow the Hershey train access to its tracks so a new terminus was built at Casablanca, which is across the harbour from Habana Vieja, connected by a ferry service.^[5]

See also

• Havana Suburban Railway

References

External links

• Article and pictures about Hershey Railway

Public transport in Havana Networks MetroBus Suburban Railway (Hershey Electric Railway) Tramway (defunct) Main structures Central Station Omnibus Terminal Harbor Airports (José Martí International · Ciudad Libertad · Playa Baracoa)