Tren Francés

Tren Francés
A coach of the Tren Francés in Las Tunas station depot
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
Status Operating
Locale  Cuba
Current operator(s) Ferrocarriles de Cuba
Route
Start Havana
Stops 4
End Santiago de Cuba
Distance travelled 854 km (531 mi)
Average journey time 14 hours, 45 minutes[1]
Service frequency Every 3 days[1]
Train number(s) 1 and 2[1][2]
Line(s) used Havana-Santiago
On-board services
Class(es) 1st and 2nd[3]
Sleeping arrangements no
Auto-rack arrangements no
Catering facilities On-board cafeteria
Technical
Rolling stock 1 diesel locomotive (from CR)
12 ex-TEE coaches (from SNCF)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Route map
The TEE coaches (right) used for the Francés. The pictures shows the TEE Étoile du Nord in Paris Nord station (1995)

Tren Francés (Spanish for "French Train") is the name of the flagship Cuban InterCity service between Havana and Santiago.[4] Owned by Ferrocarriles de Cuba, it is operated by SNCF PBA coaches originally used in Europe between Paris and Amsterdam on the ex-Trans Europ Express (TEE) Étoile du Nord service. The train is formed by 12 coaches and a Chinese-built diesel locomotive.[5]

Overview

The Tren Francés (also spelled El Francés or Especial),[2][6] named after the country of origin of the coaches (France), donated by SNCF to FFCC in 2001,[3][7] is the fastest long-distance service in Cuba. It has the most modern coaches and is divided into two classes named primera especial (1st) and primera (nominally 1st, idenfitiable as 2nd). There are no sleeping cars, couchettes or car-carrying wagons.[3]

Route

Travelling along the Havana-Santiago line, the Tren Francés makes intermediate stops only at the main cities of Santa Clara and Camagüey. Other important cities traversed along the route are Matanzas, Colón, Ciego de Ávila, Florida, and Las Tunas. Some junction stations to nearby provincial capitals are served at Cabaiguán (for Sancti Spíritus) and Cacocum (for Holguín).

Havana – Santiago (eastbound)[1]
Station Time Km / Mi City served
Havana Central18:270 km (0 mi)Havana
Santa Clara00:06286 km (178 mi)Santa Clara
Camagüey03:39538 km (334 mi)Camagüey
Santiago de Cuba09:12854 km (531 mi)Santiago de Cuba
Santiago – Havana (westbound)[1]
Station Time Km / Mi City served
Santiago de Cuba20:170 km (0 mi)Santiago de Cuba
Camagüey02:07316 km (196 mi)Camagüey
Santa Clara06:38568 km (353 mi)Santa Clara
Havana Central10:57854 km (531 mi)Havana

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cuban long-distance timetables at seat61.com (section "Train times & fares")
  2. 1 2 (in Spanish) "The railway in Cuba" on hicuba.com
  3. 1 2 3 Tren Francés at seat61.com
  4. ↑ (in Spanish) Ferrocarriles de Cuba (network) on EcuRed
  5. ↑ The Tren Francés on cubacasas.net
  6. ↑ (in Spanish) Some info about the Tren Francés on santiagoencuba.com Archived 2014-03-06 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ (in Spanish) Ferrocarriles de Cuba (actuality) on EcuRed
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