Russian Railways to prepare contract for restoration of Cuba's railway infrastructure

MOSCOW. March 19 (Interfax) - Russian Railways plans to prepare a contract for a project to restore Cuba's railway infrastructure in 2024 and does not exclude the possibility of signing it this year, first deputy head Sergei Pavlov told reporters on the sidelines of the TransRussia international exhibition in Moscow.

"We plan to begin the process of reconstructing Cuba's railway infrastructure," he said, answering a question about resuming cooperation with Cuba.

"This year we will formulate and structure the project. The situation has changed, and many years have passed. Therefore, we need to look at what they have done there, and what needs to be done. That is, we will reformat it as part of the implementation of the government's decision. And, in this respect, "we will probably have a contract prepared" Pavlov said.

When asked whether the contract was being prepared for signing next year, Pavlov replied, "Well, could be this year, too."

This month, an agreement between Russia and Cuba to modernize the railway infrastructure came into force.

In a December 2020 interview with the RZD corporate newspaper, Pavlov said that due to the difficult economic situation and quarantine restrictions in Cuba, Russian Railways were forced to temporarily suspend the project to modernize the railway infrastructure on the island, but expect to resume work after the situation stabilizes.