General Motors doesn’t escape the US blockade against Cuba
Havana, Oct 15.- Cuba’s fleet of General Motors locomotives are becoming obsolete due to the US blockade policy which prevents the island from purchasing parts to repair and maintain these engines, a railway technician reported.
Arnaldo Calleja, mechanical specialist in locomotives at the Enrique Varona railway workshop, in Ciego de Avila province, told the Cuban News Agency that it is a pity to see how the fleet has gradually become obsolete due to the Washington-imposed blockade of almost six decades.
Calleja explained that 48 General Motors locomotives were active in Cuba in 2007, thanks to inventions and innovations, but only 18 are currently working.
‘Several engines have already been decommissioned and others are awaiting approval and it is a shame to see them in that condition,’ he said, while praising the reliability and resistance of these US-made locomotives.
According to the report Cuba presented at the United Nations in September, the total damages caused by the US blockade to Cuba’s transportation sector from April 2018 to March 2019 exceeded US$170 million, representing an increase of more than US$69 million compared to the previous period.