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Cuba is adjacent to the United States. But the United States prohibits Cuba from running fiber optic cable to Miami.Or use American technology to use the internet.So the new fiber optic cable was built in 2016 by a Chinese company. There was no internet in Cuba before 2016
Sydney to-day-26/11/24==Who's on Strike-??==Tram Drivers/-Uber-Drivers/=Newcastle port=Stopped by "Anti-Coal"-protesters/Dock-workers=to-morrow/See,when you have a "Bone-Head"-Gov.running Sydney,--you will have trouble-I'd rather live in Cuba !!-great Music/Beer/& great looking Women !!-"Let-Me-IN"---!!!
Did you know that the first Spanish railway was actually in Cuba? It was when Cuba was a province part of Spain. A line connecting Havana and Güines opened in 1837.
@@luislaplume8261 It was part of Spain, it belonged to Spain, it was not independent, Spain was ruling that territory, Cuba was not its own country... I can't think of other ways to phrase it right now.
They should have named a place "Madrid" in Cuba, to be able to tell people "We have a line connecting Havana and Madrid", just to see people's reaction.
@@luislaplume8261 It was a province of Spain, like Barcelona, Cádiz or Alicante are. Spain never had "colonies" like the English or the French or the Portuguese did. Read and learn a bit of history before writing such things.
I'm glad you went and recorded this for the world to enjoy! Cuba is such a nightmare to travel in... It really takes you back and gives you a taste of how challenging world travel used to be! We have it so easy nowadays in most of the world.
@@camotech1314 The entire country is utterly collapsed. The video showed the nicest parts of Cuba, of which there are very few. It's a completely dysfunctional place. They can't keep the buildings standing up; they can't keep the electricity on; they can't even dream to have non-essential things like rail passes working. If and when tourists come to Cuba they basically go directly to one of the resorts, take a ride down the malecon, and then go home. It's a really, really hard place to travel.
For those who're joking about the Cuban railways: it's the only functioning railway network in the Caribbean. Dominican Republic has a subway in its capital Santo Domingo, but no national railways.
Up to not all that long ago, they even had British trains. We sold the Cubans some Class 47 clones in the mid-60's and the USA was not happy. If you know your diesels you know that after a few teething problems, the Class 47 was excellent and the Cuban clones were the same (even with the teething problems!) and gave excellent service for many years.
You forgot to mention "El tren francés". Years ago they acquired the coaches that used to serve on the line Paris - Bruxelles before the introduction of TGV. In Cuba they operated them as a luxury train between Santiago and Havana, but I think that they are no longer in use. A few years ago I saw one of the coaches on the sidings of the train station in Bayamo and it had one end badly damaged by some sort of collision. Quite a sad sight.
I roe the train from Santiago de Cuba to Santo Espirtu some seven years ago. The process was complicated and guide books said it was hardly possible. The rolling stock was ex Spanish. I was shadowed by some slightly curious characters who rode in the baggage depart and hoped off at the small station serving Santo Espiritu. The train proceeded rather slowly and nearly came to a stop at times as the tracks were in atrocious shape. I also rode to Hersey Train from Havana Harbor to Matanzas. It was also a Spanish transplant. It was electrified and a conductor had to guide the trolley pole at times to maintain electrical contact. Anyway great hearing of your experience on the more modern Chinese train. I had heard there was some help from the Russians on track maintenance recently. Cheers.
I have travelled to every continent sauf Antartica and Cuba is my favorite country to travel in. Yes, you need to be patient and not get upset but you will be rewarded in more ways than one. The people are some of the kindest in the world and the country is gorgeous. If you are American, you can visit Cuba by getting a visa to help "support the Cuban people" for $45. Take any kind of medication you can get your hands on - even expired ones. Drop them off at a pharmacy or church when you get there. Don't be dismayed by some of the comments. Go and enjoy. You won't regret it.
Good advice. We took a large extra suitcase just for the gifts. Drums were in the suitcase coming home. You have to play the game of not supporting the government enterprises (and the government owns just about everything there. I wonder if anyone is ever questioned by the US government after going there in this regard. Probably rare.
By supporting the people,you support the government…unfortunately. Government are the people and the people are the Government. In Eastern Europe,was the same story…but people decided to take their country back. Maybe it’s time for the people of Cuba to take their country back. Capitalism is not the best for poor people,but it’s way better than Socialism.
Once traveled on Jamaica Railways from Montego Bay to Kingston, before some storm damage interrupted service for many years. Not sure what the current passenger train situation there is today. Those Cuban passenger cars were part of a lot of 80 cars, that were gifted to Cuba by China. Due to lack of available diesel fuel, Cuban passenger train service was discontinued for a lengthy time period recently. Last time checked, the Cuban rails were woefully in need of refurbishment, requiring slow speeds in order to avoid derailment.
@@NonstopEurotrip Cuba wouldn't have had the spare funds to actually pay for new passenger cars. There was a Trains magazine article a few years ago about China donating 80 passenger rail cars to Cuba. No mention in the article about the locomotives. So: it was basically a political move, similar to rail related deals between China and several African countries.
I spent two weeks in Cuba in the summer of 2023, travelling from Havana as far as Trinidad, Playa Giron and Soroa. I never once saw a train. The people were absolutely lovely, peaceful, kind and noble.
Thanks for this brilliant review, which evokes fond memories. I travelled to Cuba back in 2002 booking two weeks in a beach resort. I left the hotel for a week to travel on my own, which was slightly frowned upon. Getting hold of tickets for Havana was quite easy in Holguin. They had to be paid for in US Dollars; must have cost me about 30 or 40 for a return ticket. They had 'primera' stamped on them, but accommodation was standard. I suspect this was simply some kind of 'foreigners' rate'. To catch the night train , I had to go by taxi to a godforsaken place called Cacocum, with a ten hour wait there spent slurping sugar cane juice and watching freight trains. My train was second hand Mexican stock. No aircon, but quite comfy nonetheless. The return trip two days later was on a former DB compartment carriage. I was a bit irked having travalled a few thousand kilometers to sit on the trains of my childhood. I unfortunately missed out on the former French TEE trains still in service then. Never mind, the trip was unforgettable. A great country and lovely people! Anyway, I am happy that Cuba has kept its railways.
Did I understand correctly that this train has an 18+ hours journey time? Cuba shouldn't be large enough to have an 18 hour train ride 😂 I guess there's some room for improvement left 😅
well come to Argentina, there is a 1000km train trip that takes 31hs...... some of the parts you can hop off, walk along the track and be faster than the train....😂
@@senorsoupe You are bitching about how hard to use your card in cuba?! Do your homework before your travel, every guide on internet tells you CUBA is (almost) cash-only country! You are nothing more than a lazy, spoiled westerner, who can't adapt to local culture and customs...
Man I wish these trains would be better, and run more consistently. Cuba has decent conditions for it if they could get the investment, but with all the sanctions on them and their currency being so worthless that bargains for us in the west is worth a fortune to locals, then it'll be an extremely uphill battle. Unless Cuba has an economic miracle, then getting consistent improvements will be tough. But they should try and work towards it. Not only could it benefit tourists but also the actual Cubans immensely! Even if they just get service up to Amtrak levels with a few trains per day, as long as its consistent, reliable, and easy to use, then it would do wonders in this country!
The Sanctions isn't why Cuba is so poor, and why they can't afford to invest into anything. The only major countries that have sanctioned Cuba is the United States. Cuba could literally trade with anyone else, but clearly they do not, so it must be something else, and clearly not sanctions.
@@wclifton968gameplaystutorials The united states will blacklist any country which does business in cuba from doing any business with the usa, so european, asian, latin american, etc companies are all incentivized to avoid trade with cuba for fear of losing business with the united states
@@wclifton968gameplaystutorials It's because they have no exports, they produce nothing and import everything, with no money. Cuba is going downhill fast, hopefully the people will revolt but I'm not sure they have the will.
Finally you came to my country, @Nonstop Eurotrip! I didn't know you were planning to visiting us... Yes... I know it wasn't easy to travel by train in my country. But believe me: because of hard restrictions imposed by the US Government to Cuba, there are not too much options to access funding that could improve the Cuban railway system. Anyway... I hope you enjoyed visiting my beautiful country and the Cuban hospitality. Greetings...
The US government has a lot to answer for, they have no right to damage your beautiful country, but at least, they are not bombing you ! be thankful for that at least!
Well, count your blessings. If the US ever got its meat hooks on Cuba, you can expect US Investment Groups to buy up every piece of shoreline. Hotels, Casinos, money shipping out to the mainland by the boat loads. Nothing in the way of nation long term, say 20 years, development to support society. You will be held hostage by an 1800 technology congress. Basically the Alaska Native Indigenous peoples of the US treatment and of Alaska which involve Russian Creoles, Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian You will get Las Vegas strip-like treatment. 30 minutes per mile if you are lucky. I would advise if you ever change government to seek out Spain. Their trains run on time. They have 4,000 kilometers of high-speed trains, 310 km/h.
Lo que puede hacer sin mucho dinero es mudar la inspección de billetes y indentidad fuera de la via, y hazlo antes de la llegada del tren. Este teatro de seguridad parece la razon principal del retraso.
Amazing Cuba . In 1977 iI travelled on a Thailand overnight sleeper from Butterworth Malaysia to Bangkok . Good service on time , bed in economy class msde up by friendly staff . Diner coach with local food, i slept well and enjoyed the journey
Thanks for sharing this lovely travel video with us! At 02:25 that is a Russian TGM8 diesel locomotive. Eight of them were delivered via ship recently. Nifty that you managed to catch one! Funnily enough that locomotive branch was developed off of ALCO's Lend-Lease help to the USSR in WWII. Egypt has also ordered some Russian rolling stock, so if you ever go there you might stumble on some TVZ passenger cars!
@NonstopEurotrip Alright. Then I invite you to Moscow 19th December for the grand opening and the very first trip of the Aurora train between Moscow and St Petersburg. Would love to help you out with that.
@@NonstopEurotrip Are you now? You have a decision of non-entry? Or you just think that you're not welcome? An electronic visa costs about fifty Euros and takes three days to get. If you decide you'd like a visit, I would enjoy having a cup of (polonium-free) tea with you and share that train journey as a fellow train video connoisseur.
Come to Brazil. Unfortunately, after the 1990s most of our long-distance trains were discontinued, but we still have two train services in two very different regions of the country. One is 892km long, connecting the northern coast of the country to the entrance to the Amazon rainforest. Another is 664km long, between two capitals in the southeast region, where you can sample some unparalleled cuisine. You can book tickets for both online. Best regards.
Hey Luis, thanks for the information. It's on my to-do list. Can you please DM me (insta or twitter) any more information or suggestions you have about the two routes including start and end points and booking sites. I heard there was a steam train too, somewhere?
@@NonstopEurotrip One of those trains is he Belo horizonte- Vitória. It takes about 13 hours to make 664 km and once a day. And beware, most stations do not have enough platforms, if the train stops on the other side, you have to board without platform. Here is a example of one part of the journey: th-cam.com/video/GEtpo08ARBA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=LlKL2sosqp5KMu5G
If you're interesred, beyond the EFVM train from Belo Horizonte to Vitória, there's another one in Maranhão called using the EFM railway (and its operated by the same Company as EFVM). About steam trains, there are some few running in Brazil, in Tiradentes, some countryside cities in SP and south region and in Ouro Preto, MG. Quite a good journey, i've been in the EFVM train: new european compositions hauled by an American-Brazilian GE train. The train has food services and wi-fi as well. The compositions have the "economic class" which is the equivalent of the 2 class and the executive class, which is kinda a First class, but dont worth the money that much. Both have Air conditioning and good seats. The trip takes around 14 hours and goes thru the stunning Atlantic forests in MG and ES.
Puerto Rico at one point also had an extensive island wide rail system for both passengers and freight. The automobile delivered its deathblow there too.
Had an interesting experience to remember when once travelling from Santiago de Cuba to Havana by rail, in 1998. Halfway the train just stopped, ten hours had already long lapsed - hours before. A fellow traveler ended up missing his flight home by 12 hours! It turned out long after all the drinks had run out that the driver was last seen running off into a field, never to be seen again. A replacement driver was however hastily sent from Havana apparently to arrive in 6 hours time. Eventually we got moving and arrived in Havana low and behold on time, but actually one day late!
Amazing that when you boarded with your Level 8 luggage you actually doubled the value of the entire train. Having said that it was nice of them to paint the whole thing the same colour blue as your logo, your reputation ( and $10 ) proceeded you. Joking aside for 2p an hour unbeatable value and those toilets were actually better than some i have seen you video. Finally, your Cuban bus journey not being released until next year ? Are you still on Cuban time ? And where's my rum and cigars ? Let me know next time you are over there and you can bring me some back, I bet they are cheap as well.
The Cuban railway network is really impressive given how limited resources are. In addition to the Havana-Santiago main line, they have a lot of train services that go deep into the remote parts of the country, though finding information on these services online can be quite a challenge! In recent years, they have finally been putting a lot of needed investment into overhauling the network as you can see with the new Chinese trains that you rode and the renovation happening at Havana Central Station and other stations around the country.
In 1996, as part of a short-term missionary trip, some friends and I took a train ride in Bolivia, from the city of Santa Cruz to a whistle-stop station in the middle of the jungle. The cost was nominal, and the departure time was less than an hour late. It was a mixed train behind a switch engine that broke down after two hours. We sat there for at least 4 hours waiting for another train to come to our rescue. Our cruel choice: open the windows, get some fresh air, and get eaten alive by the mosquitoes; or keep the windows closed, roast in the jungle heat, and keep the bugs out. The locals opted for the second choice, so we followed their lead. The only food service was a woman going up and down the aisles with a white plastic bucket, calling, "Limonada, limonada fria" ("Lemonade, cold lemonade") which probably wasn't very "fria" after the first two hours. We got to our destination around 3:30 AM. The station was closed at that hour, so we waited on the concrete platform for our ride. But I have fond memories of bracing myself in the open vestibule of the passenger car and watching the countryside go by.
I guess that leaving the station much later than scheduled at least allowed the temperature in the car to be more comfortable. Silver lining (they would probably tell you "Oh that's why we changed the schedule"). "An almighty pain in the bum" - LOL I am so using that from now on!
Probably way more difficult if he was from the United States like me. When I was younger I was able to go to Cuba on a cruise trip with my mother and sister. I think this was 2018 or so, when the thaw hadn’t yet been rolled back. First foreign country I ever stepped foot on, and ironically might have been the Fourth of July. We only spend the morning and afternoon there, but I still remember the lingering smell of cigar smoke and the old cars (also saw two Ladas in-person and quite a few newer cars also). Beautiful country with old architecture; not much else to say. I doubt I’d ever be able to go again, even if they begin to reform their government, since ours would be even slower to effectively react in any meaningful way.
Tracks between Havana and Santa Clara have been recently renovated and they allow the speeds up to 130 km/h. Further down towards the Oriente the situation is worse.
Fascinating; as a visitor to Cuba since the later 1990s I now realise why all Cubans I have met have warned me off the railways. I had read that the French built train operated from Havana to Santiago, formerly on the route Paris to Strasburg, that offered much better accommodation... but probably no faster.
hey nonstop! thank you for this video, it helps me planning my next holiday there, do you think you can take this train as a couple with 2 full size bicycles? maybe in the 1st class, and do you know a travelagency that does take care of getting tickets for tourists for such a trip?
I've known a couple of people who have had holidays in Cuba, 30 years ago who confirmed what I'd seen in documentaries. Difficult to get there, poor infrastructure, crumbling buildings, real value for money, proud friendly people and increadable 1950's US cars. Nice to see you confirm the people are the same and infrastructure has improved generally as seen in your video since I presume the tie up with China. To think that up to the sixties this place was the playground of rich Americans. The US it appears has still not forgiven Cuba for the 1962 missile crisis. Uncle Sam might have made them poor but couldn't break their spirit. Thanks for uploading and good luck Cuba!
Uncle Sam has not made them poor, after all Cuba has the backing of China and Russia and relations with all nations in the world except the US and Israel. What happens is that Cuba stole all the US properties and never even sat down to agree to pay for them and up to this day they still owe the US more than 1 billion, 1958 dollars plus they also stole the properties of all Cubans, 3 billion, 1958 dollars and of course those Cubans left the country and will like to be repaid after all it was their houses, farms, industry and business that were stolen.
@@FerganaValleyBarlasdude, is cuba, any money not passing trough the gov, directly to the people is a huge blesing, that country is hell on earth and 10 bucks is a lot
Glad you were able to make it! Last year I tried to do the same route, only to find the travel agency at Lacoubre closed. Afterwards, tried to convince anyone there to sell me a ticket but to no avail, and I'm a native Spanish speaker!
Wow. This is so cool! Thanks for posting this. I never imagined such a rail line across Cuba. Very interesting. There certainly ain't the same punctuality as in Europe / USA rail systems.
Enjoyed your travel experience, thanks. That is some interesting video noise (snow) at 5:05 into your video. Do you know of a reason for that to appear in your video? Don't want to be an alarmist, however that noise is interesting if not a reason for some concern about the area you were standing if you don't know a cause for it from your device or shooting parameters.
@@NonstopEurotrip It was just interesting that noise seems to go away as the train car enters from the left and blocks the camera view to the yard behind. th-cam.com/video/JVGpYAatb8E/w-d-xo.html
Towards the end you said we should mention unusual train trips we've been on. Here are some: Portland - Salt Lake City direct New Orleans - Orlando direct Huancayo - Huancavelica Durán - Bucay (Ecuador) Curitiba - Morretes Oberaula - Treysa Pula - Divaca Oulu - Pieksämäki direct Türkmenbasy - Urgench via Ashgabad Mashhad - Yazd direct Yerevan - Gagarin Never been to Cuba though.
Everything so clean in this promotional video. It almost looks like traveling in Thailand in the 1980s. I noticed that there was no toilet paper in the train's bathroom. Interesting. Thank you for posting!
Video request: could you make a tier list video of your most and least favorite train journey you've ever tried? I'm curious. But it might be too long since you've tried so many different trains
A long while back I took the E and N dayliner service from Victoria's Johnson Street Station up to Ladysmith on Canadas Vancouver Island. Alas, it no longer runs and I think the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Company is out of business. The Dayliner was I think a stainless steel Budd diesel unit with dome seating in the middle. Very cool 1950s kit.
Hey-!!--I see a 1953 -Chevy-!!--I own one of those,-here in Australia,--That man,is my "Chevy-Brother"-70 years,& still going Strong !!-Hey mate,-do you need any parts ??
CUBAN RAILWAYS A mix of European equipment (especially Spanish) and American equipment including the US type knuckle coupler, and the crazy American idea of how to sell train tickets, days, weeks before you travel !Chinese built locos are a more recent introduction. Indeed there are still a whole batch of 1950's built Spanish Carriages with Knuckle couplers, sitting in a carriage shed in the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain. Originally a "second hand" sale to Cuba, the Cubans ran out of money, so the Spanish have hung onto them. This being back in the time of Franco. Indeed considering Cuba was officially part of "Mainland" Spain (NOT a Colony), it's amazing there are ANY railway lines still functioning. Revolutionary's like Castro were not exactly qualified railway engineers !!!
Their trade embargoes and mostly American based railway infrastructure inherited from US occupation means they'd have to rebuild their rails from scratch to use more readily available parts from countries like China or France.
@@LouisSubearth Well of course Politically the U.S has always misinterpreted Cuba. Castro was never a Communist, simply a Central American Revolutionary, looking for a safe Haven (Cuba). Having got booted out of Central America. But having stirred up the Spanish Cubans to chuck the Americans out, the U.S. used the "Communist label" to impose a total blockade on Cuba. Which is mainly still in place today. And certainly hasn't helped the Cuban rail network !
Opps! You included some images of modern cars,we are not supposed to see those,instead we are supposed to think that all they have is stuff that they bought before the embargo.
What a great trip. Definitely unforgettable experience and journey. Bit surprising me there's railway in Carribbean country like Cuba. Feels like back to the past when you capturing the station, but thankfully the train is relatively fresh. Since you visiting Cuba, I don't know this vehicle is still exists or not, I hope you try the Camel Bus, it's actually Semi Trailer Truck which can transport Passengers in urban area.
Yeah, cuba is a complicated place, I saw a video of how that service used to be basically it looked like something out of metro games, hope that country finds its way to freedom and development, greetings from mexico, you should travel on the chepe train here one day one of the best trips you can make in north america.
Once they're back at the main station with more space perhaps the attendants could check-in the passengers for their own carriage in advance of the train arriving. Or is that too logical? ;p Excellent video to see, thank you! Did you get in touch with seat61 with the current fares (way cheaper than they've listed, for whatever reason) and any other additional details they're missing?
Are there any sparks in Cuba, or do they only run diesel-electrics? Is there a metro or light rail in Havana? There is a picture of a Budd RDC in a shot of what looks a rail heritage display (at 4:05 -ish)! Those things got everywhere (the Australian versions were garbage; "demotored" and run as loco-hauled stock after about five years self-propelled). Also a pre-embargo ALCo or GM/EMD - or just as possibly a knock-off. The Budd must've only just scraped in before the (pointlessly and cruelly extant) embargo was enacted. This video was really inspiring. I'm SO overdue for another train adventure somewhere in the world. Having "done" (in the loosest sense) South and North America and the Indian Subcontinent, I kinda wanna ride some trains somewhere a little less chaotic, like the UK (which is probably just as chaotic, but without the heat ... or sun). Would like to figure out a 7-10 day "loop" around England/Scotland/Wales (sorry, Ireland, I fear I'd damage my liver). The Woodhead Route - the trans-Pennine 1500VDC railway - is one of my all-time favourite railways ... but it no longer exists, so I'd have to include time in my plans to go hiking in the cold to find scant remnants of the line. It actually sounds delightful as I sit in 32ºC heat. Any friendly Englanders/Britons wanna share some tips? ;) Also, can Level8 bags be ridden; specifically, on travelators, baggage carousels and those ramps in immigration? Also, how easily can the stitching of the lining be unpicked and sewn back together in a fashion that matches perfectly, without the use of a sewing machine? Asking for a friend ... obviously.
@@NonstopEurotrip If you're ever in Peru, you MUST ride the world's highest passenger railway from Cuzco to Puno. Surely the most incredible train trip I've done. It stops at its high point, at a place called La Raya which is about 4900m, but you can see mountains around the altiplano rising even higher. It's nuts. Also, the southeast coast of Sri Lanka, as well as the line to Jaffna. It was still bombed out when I was there not long after the civil war, so we had to get a bus for the remaining 100kms or so. Not many tourists in Jaffna then, but locals were hoping tourism would pick up; I hope it has. There were areas of landmines, and pockmarks from shrapnel everywhere. Pretty gnarly part of that trip. I've probably done more lesser travelled train routes than popular ones when travelling internationally, so I kinda wanna do the crowded/predictable ones now.
Fun video! Surprised there isn’t a “two tier price” for locals and tourists to ride the train; $0.13? No wonder infrastructure is collapsing. Train must me pretty slowly to take so long. Did you experience power outages while in Cuba? Their generating stations and grid have been problematic for week now. Thanks!
Thank you very much for this video. I myself will be setting off on the journey in January 2025. It will go from Havana to Santiago de Cuba. Yes, I know it will take 18 hours or more. But it will certainly be an unforgettable adventure.
This is not a Cuban government investment! It was a gift from China. They even worked on repairing the poor quality trackage. Cuba’s busses - both local and intercity were Chinese gifts.
@@NonstopEurotrip China does not gift it is something similar to the U S Lend lease during WW2 Ask Shru Lanka or the African countries that have been recipients of Chinese largesse !!
You paid a 7700% bribe (based on the value of the 13 cent ticket) - I wonder if it actually made a difference. Still I'm sure the guy who got it was delighted! They also operate Chinese trains on many routes in Georgia (the country). They squeak like hell. I am not sure if they are the same type as the train you took.They are GRT / VMK trains apparently, on the Tbilisi - Zugdidi route. I also rode the Bulawayo - Harare and Bulawayo - Victoria Falls route many time s in the 90s in Zimbabwe. That was on very old British rolling stock.
I've actually filmed a video on the Chinese Georgian stock, not got around to editing it yet tho! I've made the cost of the bribe back 30 times over in the videos first 48 hours .. so worth it imho 😆
This is generally not related to trains made in China. The sound is caused by the long-term disrepair of the railway tracks. If the circuit is uneven, there will be noise and shaking.
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Cuba is adjacent to the United States. But the United States prohibits Cuba from running fiber optic cable to Miami.Or use American technology to use the internet.So the new fiber optic cable was built in 2016 by a Chinese company. There was no internet in Cuba before 2016
@@AlfarrisiMuammarppppppppppppp
Sydney to-day-26/11/24==Who's on Strike-??==Tram Drivers/-Uber-Drivers/=Newcastle port=Stopped by "Anti-Coal"-protesters/Dock-workers=to-morrow/See,when you have a "Bone-Head"-Gov.running Sydney,--you will have trouble-I'd rather live in Cuba !!-great Music/Beer/& great looking Women !!-"Let-Me-IN"---!!!
It's cool that he was able to film and have permission to go to the city of Santa Clara, when I went in 1995 tourists were not allowed
Did you know that the first Spanish railway was actually in Cuba? It was when Cuba was a province part of Spain.
A line connecting Havana and Güines opened in 1837.
I did, yes :)
Cuba was a colony of Spain not a province of Spain.
@@luislaplume8261 It was part of Spain, it belonged to Spain, it was not independent, Spain was ruling that territory, Cuba was not its own country... I can't think of other ways to phrase it right now.
They should have named a place "Madrid" in Cuba, to be able to tell people "We have a line connecting Havana and Madrid", just to see people's reaction.
@@luislaplume8261 It was a province of Spain, like Barcelona, Cádiz or Alicante are. Spain never had "colonies" like the English or the French or the Portuguese did. Read and learn a bit of history before writing such things.
I'm glad you went and recorded this for the world to enjoy! Cuba is such a nightmare to travel in... It really takes you back and gives you a taste of how challenging world travel used to be! We have it so easy nowadays in most of the world.
Tell me about it 😅
@@NonstopEurotrip in 2004 they had a short lived railpass for western tourists..
Why did they get rid of the pass?
@@camotech1314 The entire country is utterly collapsed. The video showed the nicest parts of Cuba, of which there are very few. It's a completely dysfunctional place. They can't keep the buildings standing up; they can't keep the electricity on; they can't even dream to have non-essential things like rail passes working. If and when tourists come to Cuba they basically go directly to one of the resorts, take a ride down the malecon, and then go home.
It's a really, really hard place to travel.
It's first of all a 60+ years old nightmare for all its inmates.
For those who're joking about the Cuban railways: it's the only functioning railway network in the Caribbean. Dominican Republic has a subway in its capital Santo Domingo, but no national railways.
And don’t forget Puerto Rico’s Tren Urbano, the world’s most useless metro.
@@coquimapping8680 It's not useless, it's incomplete.
A metro is not a 'railway network'
@@LouisSubearth Therefore, useless.
Hell, if we restrict our view to passenger services, it gets a lot more impressive
Soviet trains, Chinese trains, and old American ones. Cool!
Up to not all that long ago, they even had British trains. We sold the Cubans some Class 47 clones in the mid-60's and the USA was not happy. If you know your diesels you know that after a few teething problems, the Class 47 was excellent and the Cuban clones were the same (even with the teething problems!) and gave excellent service for many years.
You forgot to mention "El tren francés". Years ago they acquired the coaches that used to serve on the line Paris - Bruxelles before the introduction of TGV. In Cuba they operated them as a luxury train between Santiago and Havana, but I think that they are no longer in use. A few years ago I saw one of the coaches on the sidings of the train station in Bayamo and it had one end badly damaged by some sort of collision. Quite a sad sight.
Soviet Germany sold a handful of "Ferkeltaxen" light Diesel cars, to Cuba too!
We were hungry; "Soviet".
I roe the train from Santiago de Cuba to Santo Espirtu some seven years ago. The process was complicated and guide books said it was hardly possible. The rolling stock was ex Spanish. I was shadowed by some slightly curious characters who rode in the baggage depart and hoped off at the small station serving Santo Espiritu. The train proceeded rather slowly and nearly came to a stop at times as the tracks were in atrocious shape. I also rode to Hersey Train from Havana Harbor to Matanzas. It was also a Spanish transplant. It was electrified and a conductor had to guide the trolley pole at times to maintain electrical contact. Anyway great hearing of your experience on the more modern Chinese train. I had heard there was some help from the Russians on track maintenance recently. Cheers.
Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻
I have travelled to every continent sauf Antartica and Cuba is my favorite country to travel in. Yes, you need to be patient and not get upset but you will be rewarded in more ways than one. The people are some of the kindest in the world and the country is gorgeous. If you are American, you can visit Cuba by getting a visa to help "support the Cuban people" for $45. Take any kind of medication you can get your hands on - even expired ones. Drop them off at a pharmacy or church when you get there. Don't be dismayed by some of the comments. Go and enjoy. You won't regret it.
Good advice. We took a large extra suitcase just for the gifts. Drums were in the suitcase coming home. You have to play the game of not supporting the government enterprises (and the government owns just about everything there. I wonder if anyone is ever questioned by the US government after going there in this regard. Probably rare.
By supporting the people,you support the government…unfortunately.
Government are the people and the people are the Government.
In Eastern Europe,was the same story…but people decided to take their country back.
Maybe it’s time for the people of Cuba to take their country back.
Capitalism is not the best for poor people,but it’s way better than Socialism.
Whike I enjoyed my trip, it certainly isn't anywhere near my favourite country to travel in
@@RomeoUrsu-fy9qo After the protests in 2021, the government started allowing Cubans to have 1- 3 businesses.
@@LeeMulcahyForSenate
Good
Now we should see a lot of democracy
thank you so much! i love that you go out from the West Asia/Europe rail comfort zone! i found non popular rail networks videos so interesting!
@@Capibaracapibara1992 glad you enjoyed it 🙏🏻😁
Once traveled on Jamaica Railways from Montego Bay to Kingston, before some storm damage interrupted service for many years. Not sure what the current passenger train situation there is today. Those Cuban passenger cars were part of a lot of 80 cars, that were gifted to Cuba by China. Due to lack of available diesel fuel, Cuban passenger train service was discontinued for a lengthy time period recently. Last time checked, the Cuban rails were woefully in need of refurbishment, requiring slow speeds in order to avoid derailment.
I believe that Jamaican Railways are freight only now.
Afaik they bought them from china, along with the locos
@@NonstopEurotrip Cuba wouldn't have had the spare funds to actually pay for new passenger cars. There was a Trains magazine article a few years ago about China donating 80 passenger rail cars to Cuba. No mention in the article about the locomotives. So: it was basically a political move, similar to rail related deals between China and several African countries.
@@kevanhubbard9673 as most of railways in the whole american continent,north and south
China never gifts anything, there is always a caveat
These locomotives look exactly like the class 34 diesel electrics in South Africa. The big side windows are a give away
I spent two weeks in Cuba in the summer of 2023, travelling from Havana as far as Trinidad, Playa Giron and Soroa. I never once saw a train. The people were absolutely lovely, peaceful, kind and noble.
7:13 oh well 😂 I'm sure the Cubans watching this video are gonna be a little sad but at least you've tried their railway
🙃🙃🙃
Thanks for this brilliant review, which evokes fond memories. I travelled to Cuba back in 2002 booking two weeks in a beach resort. I left the hotel for a week to travel on my own, which was slightly frowned upon. Getting hold of tickets for Havana was quite easy in Holguin. They had to be paid for in US Dollars; must have cost me about 30 or 40 for a return ticket. They had 'primera' stamped on them, but accommodation was standard. I suspect this was simply some kind of 'foreigners' rate'. To catch the night train , I had to go by taxi to a godforsaken place called Cacocum, with a ten hour wait there spent slurping sugar cane juice and watching freight trains. My train was second hand Mexican stock. No aircon, but quite comfy nonetheless. The return trip two days later was on a former DB compartment carriage. I was a bit irked having travalled a few thousand kilometers to sit on the trains of my childhood. I unfortunately missed out on the former French TEE trains still in service then. Never mind, the trip was unforgettable. A great country and lovely people! Anyway, I am happy that Cuba has kept its railways.
Thanks for sharing! 🙏🏻
Did I understand correctly that this train has an 18+ hours journey time? Cuba shouldn't be large enough to have an 18 hour train ride 😂 I guess there's some room for improvement left 😅
Indeed 😆
I literally can't even imagine the state of the rails and signalling system...
@@oscarcanales3830 Can you imagine it figuratively?
well come to Argentina, there is a 1000km train trip that takes 31hs...... some of the parts you can hop off, walk along the track and be faster than the train....😂
Cuba is about a 1000 kms long.
Cuba is a beautiful country but getting anything done (like buying a train ticket or getting money exchanged) can be such a chore
Money exchange was easy, as long as you had USD in cash!
@@NonstopEurotrip Fair point, last time I was there it was a nightmare to get Cuban cash with only a Canadian credit card
@senorsoupe yeah, massive tip, take USD in cash to cover your whole trip
@@senorsoupe You are bitching about how hard to use your card in cuba?!
Do your homework before your travel, every guide on internet tells you CUBA is (almost) cash-only country!
You are nothing more than a lazy, spoiled westerner, who can't adapt to local culture and customs...
@@NonstopEurotrip U.S. money is welcome
Can you go nigeria and get first class lagos to ibadan
Great idea!
Good
Ah ... Cuba, the country you visit to see an incredible number of American cars from the fifties all running and in excellent condition.👏😊
"in excellent condition"??? lol
@@martinc.720 Woo Hoo!
Someone actually got the wee joke there.🤣
@@lesley-annemclelland857 I mean, from the outside, they seem to be lol
'running'
Look under the hood of one of those classics and you'll likely see a 4 cyl russian engine.
That is a prime example of doing something just to say that you had done it! I've done that numerous times and haven't regretted any one of them!
Absolutely! 😂
Man I wish these trains would be better, and run more consistently. Cuba has decent conditions for it if they could get the investment, but with all the sanctions on them and their currency being so worthless that bargains for us in the west is worth a fortune to locals, then it'll be an extremely uphill battle. Unless Cuba has an economic miracle, then getting consistent improvements will be tough. But they should try and work towards it. Not only could it benefit tourists but also the actual Cubans immensely! Even if they just get service up to Amtrak levels with a few trains per day, as long as its consistent, reliable, and easy to use, then it would do wonders in this country!
Absolutely agree 💯
The Sanctions isn't why Cuba is so poor, and why they can't afford to invest into anything. The only major countries that have sanctioned Cuba is the United States.
Cuba could literally trade with anyone else, but clearly they do not, so it must be something else, and clearly not sanctions.
@@wclifton968gameplaystutorials The united states will blacklist any country which does business in cuba from doing any business with the usa, so european, asian, latin american, etc companies are all incentivized to avoid trade with cuba for fear of losing business with the united states
@@wclifton968gameplaystutorials It's because they have no exports, they produce nothing and import everything, with no money. Cuba is going downhill fast, hopefully the people will revolt but I'm not sure they have the will.
@@cornkopp2985 Yes. I'm no fan of the Cuban government and most Cubans aren't, but sanctioning Cuba just punishes the average man there.
Finally you came to my country, @Nonstop Eurotrip!
I didn't know you were planning to visiting us...
Yes... I know it wasn't easy to travel by train in my country. But believe me: because of hard restrictions imposed by the US Government to Cuba, there are not too much options to access funding that could improve the Cuban railway system.
Anyway... I hope you enjoyed visiting my beautiful country and the Cuban hospitality.
Greetings...
chciałbym u Was zamieszkać na starość, myślisz że to możliwe ?
The US government has a lot to answer for, they have no right to damage your beautiful country, but at least, they are not bombing you ! be thankful for that at least!
Well, count your blessings.
If the US ever got its meat hooks on Cuba, you can expect US Investment Groups to buy up every piece of shoreline.
Hotels, Casinos, money shipping out to the mainland by the boat loads.
Nothing in the way of nation long term, say 20 years, development to support society.
You will be held hostage by an 1800 technology congress.
Basically the Alaska Native Indigenous peoples of the US treatment and of Alaska which involve Russian Creoles, Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian
You will get Las Vegas strip-like treatment. 30 minutes per mile if you are lucky.
I would advise if you ever change government to seek out Spain. Their trains run on time.
They have 4,000 kilometers of high-speed trains, 310 km/h.
Lo que puede hacer sin mucho dinero es mudar la inspección de billetes y indentidad fuera de la via, y hazlo antes de la llegada del tren. Este teatro de seguridad parece la razon principal del retraso.
Thank you so much! I had a great time and you really do make the best of tough situations 🙏🏻
Amazing Cuba . In 1977 iI travelled on a Thailand overnight sleeper from Butterworth Malaysia to Bangkok . Good service on time , bed in economy class msde up by friendly staff . Diner coach with local food, i slept well and enjoyed the journey
Very cool!
Thanks for sharing this lovely travel video with us! At 02:25 that is a Russian TGM8 diesel locomotive. Eight of them were delivered via ship recently. Nifty that you managed to catch one! Funnily enough that locomotive branch was developed off of ALCO's Lend-Lease help to the USSR in WWII. Egypt has also ordered some Russian rolling stock, so if you ever go there you might stumble on some TVZ passenger cars!
I've been :)
@NonstopEurotrip Alright. Then I invite you to Moscow 19th December for the grand opening and the very first trip of the Aurora train between Moscow and St Petersburg. Would love to help you out with that.
@@RussianSevereWeatherVideos sorry, we're banned.
@@NonstopEurotrip Are you now? You have a decision of non-entry? Or you just think that you're not welcome? An electronic visa costs about fifty Euros and takes three days to get. If you decide you'd like a visit, I would enjoy having a cup of (polonium-free) tea with you and share that train journey as a fellow train video connoisseur.
Come to Brazil. Unfortunately, after the 1990s most of our long-distance trains were discontinued, but we still have two train services in two very different regions of the country.
One is 892km long, connecting the northern coast of the country to the entrance to the Amazon rainforest. Another is 664km long, between two capitals in the southeast region, where you can sample some unparalleled cuisine.
You can book tickets for both online.
Best regards.
Hey Luis, thanks for the information. It's on my to-do list. Can you please DM me (insta or twitter) any more information or suggestions you have about the two routes including start and end points and booking sites. I heard there was a steam train too, somewhere?
@@NonstopEurotrip One of those trains is he Belo horizonte- Vitória. It takes about 13 hours to make 664 km and once a day. And beware, most stations do not have enough platforms, if the train stops on the other side, you have to board without platform. Here is a example of one part of the journey: th-cam.com/video/GEtpo08ARBA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=LlKL2sosqp5KMu5G
If you're interesred, beyond the EFVM train from Belo Horizonte to Vitória, there's another one in Maranhão called using the EFM railway (and its operated by the same Company as EFVM).
About steam trains, there are some few running in Brazil, in Tiradentes, some countryside cities in SP and south region and in Ouro Preto, MG.
Quite a good journey, i've been in the EFVM train: new european compositions hauled by an American-Brazilian GE train. The train has food services and wi-fi as well. The compositions have the "economic class" which is the equivalent of the 2 class and the executive class, which is kinda a First class, but dont worth the money that much. Both have Air conditioning and good seats.
The trip takes around 14 hours and goes thru the stunning Atlantic forests in MG and ES.
@@NonstopEurotrip Of course, I sent him a message on Instagram.
Puerto Rico at one point also had an extensive island wide rail system for both passengers and freight. The automobile delivered its deathblow there too.
Like so many other too
Had an interesting experience to remember when once travelling from Santiago de Cuba to Havana by rail, in 1998. Halfway the train just stopped, ten hours had already long lapsed - hours before. A fellow traveler ended up missing his flight home by 12 hours! It turned out long after all the drinks had run out that the driver was last seen running off into a field, never to be seen again. A replacement driver was however hastily sent from Havana apparently to arrive in 6 hours time. Eventually we got moving and arrived in Havana low and behold on time, but actually one day late!
Thanks for sharing 😂
Amazing that when you boarded with your Level 8 luggage you actually doubled the value of the entire train. Having said that it was nice of them to paint the whole thing the same colour blue as your logo, your reputation ( and $10 ) proceeded you.
Joking aside for 2p an hour unbeatable value and those toilets were actually better than some i have seen you video.
Finally, your Cuban bus journey not being released until next year ? Are you still on Cuban time ? And where's my rum and cigars ? Let me know next time you are over there and you can bring me some back, I bet they are cheap as well.
Cigars for Christmas giveaway 😆
The Cuban railway network is really impressive given how limited resources are. In addition to the Havana-Santiago main line, they have a lot of train services that go deep into the remote parts of the country, though finding information on these services online can be quite a challenge! In recent years, they have finally been putting a lot of needed investment into overhauling the network as you can see with the new Chinese trains that you rode and the renovation happening at Havana Central Station and other stations around the country.
The locos like copies of 1950's GM EMD's . The horsepower figures even match the EMD's 😅
The light blue 2x2 seat kinda reminds me of KAI Executive class.
Wah ... terimakasih , berarti Anda sudah pernah ke Indonesia ... 😅❤😂
Did your train continue beyond Santa Clara? Is there any website to see the schedules?
All this information is in the video
In 1996, as part of a short-term missionary trip, some friends and I took a train ride in Bolivia, from the city of Santa Cruz to a whistle-stop station in the middle of the jungle. The cost was nominal, and the departure time was less than an hour late. It was a mixed train behind a switch engine that broke down after two hours. We sat there for at least 4 hours waiting for another train to come to our rescue. Our cruel choice: open the windows, get some fresh air, and get eaten alive by the mosquitoes; or keep the windows closed, roast in the jungle heat, and keep the bugs out. The locals opted for the second choice, so we followed their lead. The only food service was a woman going up and down the aisles with a white plastic bucket, calling, "Limonada, limonada fria" ("Lemonade, cold lemonade") which probably wasn't very "fria" after the first two hours. We got to our destination around 3:30 AM. The station was closed at that hour, so we waited on the concrete platform for our ride. But I have fond memories of bracing myself in the open vestibule of the passenger car and watching the countryside go by.
Thanks for sharing 😂
I guess that leaving the station much later than scheduled at least allowed the temperature in the car to be more comfortable. Silver lining (they would probably tell you "Oh that's why we changed the schedule").
"An almighty pain in the bum" - LOL I am so using that from now on!
$1 per usage commission 😉
@@NonstopEurotrip I'll send the money every 6 months to:
Engine-ous Productions
74 Station Street
Whistleville
CH0O CH0O
When the crazy stranglehold by US for 60 over years creating " I CAN'T BREATH" moment for Cuba for no reason , this is happens.
Thanks!
Welcome! Thanks so much for the tip 🙏🏻
Do they still have the French-built ex-TEE trains in cuba?
I didn't see any...
Hi, if you don't mind me asking. Was it difficult getting an entry visa to enter Cuba?
Nope, I just applied to the UK embassy and had the visa by post within a week for £25 iirc
Probably way more difficult if he was from the United States like me.
When I was younger I was able to go to Cuba on a cruise trip with my mother and sister. I think this was 2018 or so, when the thaw hadn’t yet been rolled back. First foreign country I ever stepped foot on, and ironically might have been the Fourth of July. We only spend the morning and afternoon there, but I still remember the lingering smell of cigar smoke and the old cars (also saw two Ladas in-person and quite a few newer cars also). Beautiful country with old architecture; not much else to say. I doubt I’d ever be able to go again, even if they begin to reform their government, since ours would be even slower to effectively react in any meaningful way.
You get your visa in the US from the airline when you buy your ticket. Very easy. Or you can fly trough Mexico
Low speed. Do you think it’s due to poor condition of the rail bed, or to reduce fuel consumption?
Probably both!
I already knew about the large railroad system in Cuba from my late mother in the 1960s. My late parents as I were born in Cuba.
How was the track quality?
Remarkably good! 👍🏻
Tracks between Havana and Santa Clara have been recently renovated and they allow the speeds up to 130 km/h. Further down towards the Oriente the situation is worse.
Consegue explicar as razões para tanta demora na hora do embarque? Sistema manual? Poucos funcionários?
Bureaucracy 😆
in 1976 I travel from Havana to Baracoa , the only time I travel on Ferrocarriles de Cuba. Thank you for the memory, saludos to Iberoamerica
Glad you enjoyed it! 😄
Fascinating; as a visitor to Cuba since the later 1990s I now realise why all Cubans I have met have warned me off the railways. I had read that the French built train operated from Havana to Santiago, formerly on the route Paris to Strasburg, that offered much better accommodation... but probably no faster.
It was still a fun experience though:)
hey nonstop! thank you for this video, it helps me planning my next holiday there, do you think you can take this train as a couple with 2 full size bicycles? maybe in the 1st class, and do you know a travelagency that does take care of getting tickets for tourists for such a trip?
No, you can't bring bikes and buying the tickets must be done as shown in the video as tourists aren't meant to take the trains
How did you get the drone shots? I thought drones were banned in Cuba.
Many things are banned in Cuba. Doesn't mean they aren't there :)
Excellent video my friends 😊
Thank you 🤗
As the driver of all SEO in 2020+ I thank you for going to do this so I do not have to!
😂😂😂
I've known a couple of people who have had holidays in Cuba, 30 years ago who confirmed what I'd seen in documentaries. Difficult to get there, poor infrastructure, crumbling buildings, real value for money, proud friendly people and increadable 1950's US cars. Nice to see you confirm the people are the same and infrastructure has improved generally as seen in your video since I presume the tie up with China. To think that up to the sixties this place was the playground of rich Americans. The US it appears has still not forgiven Cuba for the 1962 missile crisis. Uncle Sam might have made them poor but couldn't break their spirit. Thanks for uploading and good luck Cuba!
The US may have made a mess of things there, as it has in many places, but they are poor because of 60+ years of dictatorship, not the US.
Uncle Sam has not made them poor, after all Cuba has the backing of China and Russia and relations with all nations in the world except the US and Israel. What happens is that Cuba stole all the US properties and never even sat down to agree to pay for them and up to this day they still owe the US more than 1 billion, 1958 dollars plus they also stole the properties of all Cubans, 3 billion, 1958 dollars and of course those Cubans left the country and will like to be repaid after all it was their houses, farms, industry and business that were stolen.
Amen 🙌🏻
Slipping him a $10 bill... 😬😂
🙃🫡
Unknowingly you are a bigot calling it a bribe.
@FerganaValleyBarlas corruption is not biggotry
@@FerganaValleyBarlasdude, is cuba, any money not passing trough the gov, directly to the people is a huge blesing, that country is hell on earth and 10 bucks is a lot
Would that be a American, Cuban, or a Euro 10 Euros bill? 😮🤔🥴
Glad you were able to make it! Last year I tried to do the same route, only to find the travel agency at Lacoubre closed. Afterwards, tried to convince anyone there to sell me a ticket but to no avail, and I'm a native Spanish speaker!
It's only open for a free hours on the morning of departures
you have such a positive sounding voice and beautiful matching Cuban music to go with it really a beautiful film thank you
Thank you so much, it really means a lot! 🙏🏻
@@NonstopEurotripwas that Tropico music?
@@Diesel-ER899 lol no, but I know what you mean 😂
Wow. This is so cool! Thanks for posting this. I never imagined such a rail line across Cuba. Very interesting. There certainly ain't the same punctuality as in Europe / USA rail systems.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Enjoyed your travel experience, thanks. That is some interesting video noise (snow) at 5:05 into your video. Do you know of a reason for that to appear in your video? Don't want to be an alarmist, however that noise is interesting if not a reason for some concern about the area you were standing if you don't know a cause for it from your device or shooting parameters.
No idea, sorry.
@@NonstopEurotrip It was just interesting that noise seems to go away as the train car enters from the left and blocks the camera view to the yard behind.
th-cam.com/video/JVGpYAatb8E/w-d-xo.html
What's on da roof of tha wagons?
I'm not sure 👀
Why wait until next year if you have it now? I cannot wait to see it.
😆
Wow. You have so much patience to go through that. Bravo.
If I was filming, I probably would have given up 😂
Towards the end you said we should mention unusual train trips we've been on. Here are some:
Portland - Salt Lake City direct
New Orleans - Orlando direct
Huancayo - Huancavelica
Durán - Bucay (Ecuador)
Curitiba - Morretes
Oberaula - Treysa
Pula - Divaca
Oulu - Pieksämäki direct
Türkmenbasy - Urgench via Ashgabad
Mashhad - Yazd direct
Yerevan - Gagarin
Never been to Cuba though.
Very interesting!
Great video, thank you. I never knew Cuba had a rail system, I like the '50s car blue seats
So cool right 👍🏻
Everything so clean in this promotional video. It almost looks like traveling in Thailand in the 1980s. I noticed that there was no toilet paper in the train's bathroom. Interesting. Thank you for posting!
Thanks for watching! :)
Thank you for making this video. I showed my cuban grandpa
Oh wow, did he like it?
@@NonstopEurotrip Yes, he really did. He is excited for your other cuba video thats coming out :)
I have loved Havana ever since I visited for the first time in 2009.
Video request: could you make a tier list video of your most and least favorite train journey you've ever tried? I'm curious. But it might be too long since you've tried so many different trains
Thanks for the idea! Maybe a special thing 😉
A long while back I took the E and N dayliner service from Victoria's Johnson Street Station up to Ladysmith on Canadas Vancouver Island. Alas, it no longer runs and I think the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Company is out of business. The Dayliner was I think a stainless steel Budd diesel unit with dome seating in the middle. Very cool 1950s kit.
Oh wow!
Fascinating! Thanks for the unique experience.
So nice of you ☺️
Hey-!!--I see a 1953 -Chevy-!!--I own one of those,-here in Australia,--That man,is my "Chevy-Brother"-70 years,& still going Strong !!-Hey mate,-do you need any parts ??
CUBAN RAILWAYS
A mix of European equipment (especially Spanish) and American equipment including the US type knuckle coupler, and the crazy American idea of how to sell train tickets, days, weeks before you travel !Chinese built locos are a more recent introduction. Indeed there are still a whole batch of 1950's built Spanish Carriages with Knuckle couplers, sitting in a carriage shed in the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain. Originally a "second hand" sale to Cuba, the Cubans ran out of money, so the Spanish have hung onto them. This being back in the time of Franco. Indeed considering Cuba was officially part of "Mainland" Spain (NOT a Colony), it's amazing there are ANY railway lines still functioning. Revolutionary's like Castro were not exactly qualified railway engineers !!!
Their trade embargoes and mostly American based railway infrastructure inherited from US occupation means they'd have to rebuild their rails from scratch to use more readily available parts from countries like China or France.
@@LouisSubearth Well of course Politically the U.S has always misinterpreted Cuba. Castro was never a Communist, simply a Central American Revolutionary, looking for a safe Haven (Cuba). Having got booted out of Central America. But having stirred up the Spanish Cubans to chuck the Americans out, the U.S. used the "Communist label" to impose a total blockade on Cuba. Which is mainly still in place today. And certainly hasn't helped the Cuban rail network !
Opps! You included some images of modern cars,we are not supposed to see those,instead we are supposed to think that all they have is stuff that they bought before the embargo.
I'll edit them out, whoops 😬
What a great trip. Definitely unforgettable experience and journey. Bit surprising me there's railway in Carribbean country like Cuba. Feels like back to the past when you capturing the station, but thankfully the train is relatively fresh. Since you visiting Cuba, I don't know this vehicle is still exists or not, I hope you try the Camel Bus, it's actually Semi Trailer Truck which can transport Passengers in urban area.
Honestly it was such a faff to do this I kinda gave up trying to do anything else 😆
Yeah, cuba is a complicated place, I saw a video of how that service used to be basically it looked like something out of metro games, hope that country finds its way to freedom and development, greetings from mexico, you should travel on the chepe train here one day one of the best trips you can make in north america.
I've done El Chepe, video coming soon :)
@NonstopEurotrip coool
Terrible... The delay and so and so... The best is the background Music 😄😅🎶👍
Thanks 😂 🎵
@NonstopEurotrip 😂 🙏😅
$2 for first class, I think that I would have gone for that! I was in Havana via Cruise ship a few years back.
Honestly I couldn't be bothered to try and explain that 😆
Me too! What a dump 😂
It was great to see Cuba and Cubans!
The 60s era cars in fantastic condition always floor me
Couldn't agree more!
Once they're back at the main station with more space perhaps the attendants could check-in the passengers for their own carriage in advance of the train arriving. Or is that too logical? ;p
Excellent video to see, thank you!
Did you get in touch with seat61 with the current fares (way cheaper than they've listed, for whatever reason) and any other additional details they're missing?
Yeah hopefully the can streamline the system! I sent all the current prices and timetables to Mark Seat 61 when I returned a few months back 👍🏻
Fascinating, Informative and Bizarre! Won't be doing that trip.
It's not for everyone 😆
Thanks for this video. One less agonizing and stupid experience I don't need to waste part of my life with!
Yes, it's definitely not for everyone!
Are there any sparks in Cuba, or do they only run diesel-electrics? Is there a metro or light rail in Havana? There is a picture of a Budd RDC in a shot of what looks a rail heritage display (at 4:05 -ish)! Those things got everywhere (the Australian versions were garbage; "demotored" and run as loco-hauled stock after about five years self-propelled). Also a pre-embargo ALCo or GM/EMD - or just as possibly a knock-off. The Budd must've only just scraped in before the (pointlessly and cruelly extant) embargo was enacted.
This video was really inspiring. I'm SO overdue for another train adventure somewhere in the world. Having "done" (in the loosest sense) South and North America and the Indian Subcontinent, I kinda wanna ride some trains somewhere a little less chaotic, like the UK (which is probably just as chaotic, but without the heat ... or sun). Would like to figure out a 7-10 day "loop" around England/Scotland/Wales (sorry, Ireland, I fear I'd damage my liver). The Woodhead Route - the trans-Pennine 1500VDC railway - is one of my all-time favourite railways ... but it no longer exists, so I'd have to include time in my plans to go hiking in the cold to find scant remnants of the line. It actually sounds delightful as I sit in 32ºC heat. Any friendly Englanders/Britons wanna share some tips? ;)
Also, can Level8 bags be ridden; specifically, on travelators, baggage carousels and those ramps in immigration? Also, how easily can the stitching of the lining be unpicked and sewn back together in a fashion that matches perfectly, without the use of a sewing machine? Asking for a friend ... obviously.
It's all diesel. Exploring lesser travelled and interesting places is why I travel. Anyone can go to Paris.
@@NonstopEurotrip If you're ever in Peru, you MUST ride the world's highest passenger railway from Cuzco to Puno. Surely the most incredible train trip I've done. It stops at its high point, at a place called La Raya which is about 4900m, but you can see mountains around the altiplano rising even higher. It's nuts.
Also, the southeast coast of Sri Lanka, as well as the line to Jaffna. It was still bombed out when I was there not long after the civil war, so we had to get a bus for the remaining 100kms or so. Not many tourists in Jaffna then, but locals were hoping tourism would pick up; I hope it has. There were areas of landmines, and pockmarks from shrapnel everywhere. Pretty gnarly part of that trip.
I've probably done more lesser travelled train routes than popular ones when travelling internationally, so I kinda wanna do the crowded/predictable ones now.
Fun video! Surprised there isn’t a “two tier price” for locals and tourists to ride the train; $0.13? No wonder infrastructure is collapsing. Train must me pretty slowly to take so long. Did you experience power outages while in Cuba? Their generating stations and grid have been problematic for week now. Thanks!
Tourists really shouldn't be riding the train, hence why there's a 2 tier bus price 😆
Thank you very much for this video. I myself will be setting off on the journey in January 2025. It will go from Havana to Santiago de Cuba. Yes, I know it will take 18 hours or more. But it will certainly be an unforgettable adventure.
Best of luck!
That's cool it's like a classic car show all the time
That's the best bit! 😁
I was going to comment 'how can this be so inefficient?'
But it costs 10p to ride
What a cool trip
Thank you!
This is not a Cuban government investment!
It was a gift from China. They even worked on repairing the poor quality trackage.
Cuba’s busses - both local and intercity were Chinese gifts.
Loan?
@@NonstopEurotrip
China does not gift
it is something similar to the U S Lend lease during WW2
Ask Shru Lanka or the African countries that have been
recipients of Chinese largesse !!
@@johnmay23belt and road initiative. Cuba will be paying China back with crazy interest for subpar work for the next 100 years
I have been on a steam train in Turkiye 1985 from Istanbul to city of Burdur 13 hours it was a great adventure
Wow!
I kept waiting for the part that was TOTALLY CRAZY!, but it never appeared.
You should look harder.
但是哈瓦那沒有航機去華盛頓市，要用美國航空公司往邁阿密機場轉乘！
And?
Happy for journey 👍
Looking for time travel? Just visit Cuba and you will mostly seeing those vehicle and other most vintage transportation. Hope to visit Cuba someday 😊
😆😆😆
Yes dear, I've travelled by the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels thru the Chunnel France. The train goes to amsterdam via Rotterdam.
Great video!
Thanks! 😊
The classic cars are awesome
Amazing right! 💯
I took the French train from Santiago to Havana and back.Turkish toilets, blastingly cold air conditioning. Around 2007 or 2008. Night trains both.
Absolutely amazing
👍🏻
The prices are ridiculous, of course, but such a mess ...
Fun though!
I am about to take a JR train from Osaka to Kyoto. Total opposite but thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
😂😂😂
You paid a 7700% bribe (based on the value of the 13 cent ticket) - I wonder if it actually made a difference. Still I'm sure the guy who got it was delighted! They also operate Chinese trains on many routes in Georgia (the country). They squeak like hell. I am not sure if they are the same type as the train you took.They are GRT / VMK trains apparently, on the Tbilisi - Zugdidi route. I also rode the Bulawayo - Harare and Bulawayo - Victoria Falls route many time s in the 90s in Zimbabwe. That was on very old British rolling stock.
I've actually filmed a video on the Chinese Georgian stock, not got around to editing it yet tho! I've made the cost of the bribe back 30 times over in the videos first 48 hours .. so worth it imho 😆
This is generally not related to trains made in China. The sound is caused by the long-term disrepair of the railway tracks. If the circuit is uneven, there will be noise and shaking.
love travelling to Cuba.
Nice journey and the experience. ❤
Yes it was!
Excelent video first comment
Yes - very different from my Seoul - Busan trip on the KTX. 🚄Great vlog - many thanks.
Just a bit 😂
THIS IS COOL AS HECK!!!!!
Thanks 😂😂😂