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Yahoo! November 21, 2002.
Cuba Struggles to Maintain Railway
By Andrea Rodriguez, Associated Press Writer. Thu Nov 21,
3:43 AM ET
HAVANA (AP) - Cuba is struggling to restore its railway system, Latin
America's oldest, amid an ongoing economic crunch and complaints about delays
and the aging engines.
The railway was born 165 years ago this week, and it has long been central
to the economy, hauling tobacco for its famous cigars in the east and sugar cane
to feed its mills in the west.
Born on Nov. 19, 1837, Cuba's railway system initially connected Havana with
the nearby community of Bejucal. Spain didn't get a railway until 11 years
later, according to city historian Eusebio Leal.
Today, Cuba's 2,700 miles of tracks still move about 60 percent of all
ground cargo across the island, as well as hundreds of thousands of passengers
annually.
While there are new efforts to restore the old American-made steam engines
to attract tourists, average citizens complain about low-quality service —
especially chronic delays — of this cheap form of travel.
"It's a challenge," said Rolando Jiques, who has spent 41 of his
74 years working in Cuba's railway system.
Transportation Minister Alvaro Perez Morales said his staff has been working
since last year to cut down on the delays.
"The complaints are justified," Perez said.
One program reimburses railway passengers the price of their tickets if
their train arrives late. The government-subsidized cost of passage from Havana
to Santiago in the island's extreme east is about $2.60.
Still, the major problem facing the railway is a lack of investment to
repair and maintain its infrastructure.
Cuba recently purchased some engines and other hardware from Mexico and
Germany, but the nation's railway system "doesn't get all the money it
needs," said Ricardo Aguiar, director of Railroads of Cuba.
Cuba is still recovering from an economic crisis brought on by the collapse
of the former Soviet Union more than a decade ago and "investments are made
within our reach," Aguiar said.
Cuba wins Intercontinental Cup championship with 2-1 win over South
Korea
By LUIS R. VARELA, Associated Press Writer
HAVANA - Yobal Duenas batted a home run to help Cuba beat South Korea (news
- web sites) 2-1 and regain the Intercontinental Baseball Cup gold medal.
Wednesday night's game was defined in the seventh inning when Cuba's Barbaro
Canizares opened with a double against the right field fence. Duenas then
managed to hit a low throw by Tae Hyon Chong and send it high into the stands
above left field.
Duenas raised his arms into the air in a sign of triumph and the crowd of
30,000 at the Latinoamericano stadium erupted in applause and cries of
celebration.
The South Koreans scored their run in the fourth inning with a home run hit
to left field by Bum Ho Lee.
Relief pitcher Maels Rodriguez (1-0), who substituted starter Jose Ibar in
the fourth inning, brought home the victory.
The Cubans won all 10 games they played in the current championship and
recaptured the title they lost in 1999 against Australia.
South Korea came in second in the current championship, while Panama and the
Dominican Republic, whose final scheduled game Wednesday afternoon was rained
out, shared third place.
Taiwan finished fifth, followed by Japan, Venezuela, Italy, the Netherlands,
Italy, Brazil, Mexico and China.
Cuba will host the World Baseball Championship in November 2003. | 
