MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th December, 2020) State-run Russian Railways (RZD) has suspended a project on the modernization of Cuba's railways in light of the coronavirus-related restrictions and challenging economic situation in the Caribbean country, RZD First Deputy Managing Director Sergey Pavlov said on Tuesday, adding that the company plans to resume the project after the health situation stabilizes.
"Unfortunately, due to the difficult economic situation and quarantine restrictions in Cuba, we were forced to temporarily suspend our project for a comprehensive modernization of the railway infrastructure on the island [Cuba]. But we look forward to resuming work on the project after the situation stabilizes," Pavlov told the RZD's corporate newspaper, Gudok.
In October 2019, the RZD and Havana inked the $2.3 billion deal on the restoration and modernization of Cuba's railway. The agreement envisions the design, restoration and modernization of over 600 miles of the railway infrastructure using Russian technologies and equipment.
In addition, the project envisages the creation of a single traffic control center to monitor the movements of trains and the education of Cuban staff in Russian universities.
