The number 17 train, operating between Havana and Bayamo, was attacked with stones on Thursday, causing damage to the windows of seats 1 and 2 in the second carriage. The National Passenger Train Company reported on social media that the incident took place shortly after leaving the Jobabo station, at the 45-kilometer mark in Las Tunas.
According to the statement, the attack happened around 10:35 a.m., and the authorities were promptly alerted. The police are currently investigating the matter. It is suspected that the perpetrators might be minors who were standing near the tracks as the train passed by, the statement added.
Impact on Train Services
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the attack did damage one of the "80 carriages imported from China in 2019, out of a planned 240 that couldn't be completed." The already deteriorating train services in Cuba, hampered by resource shortages and crumbling infrastructure, now face added threats from such acts of violence, endangering passengers and crew amid a backdrop of increasing social unrest.
Recurring Acts of Vandalism
Last May, the national train running from Havana to Holguín was similarly assaulted with stones while passing through Santa Clara in the early morning hours, resulting in damage to a passenger carriage window. The Cuban Railway Union announced via social media that the incident occurred at 1:00 a.m. near a sawmill at the 277.5-kilometer mark of the central line.
It's not only trains that are targeted. In April, several buses in Havana were stoned during their regular routes. A report by the Provincial Transport Company of Havana detailed three separate stoning incidents on different routes.
Wider Implications
In June, a man was apprehended for throwing a stone at a state bus in Havana, shattering its side window, according to the Provincial Transport Company of the capital. The affected bus, number 613 from the El Calvario terminal, was hit while completing its route back to the base, the company shared on social media.