31 Industrial Cuba 



CUBAN RAILROADS 



Cuba was the second country in America to 

 operate a steam railroad. This road was con- 

 structed under the direction of the Improvement 

 Board of Havana and opened for traffic on the 

 19th of November, 1837. It connected the 

 capital with the town of Guines and was about 

 forty-five miles long. 



From this small nucleus has developed a 

 railroad mileage in Cuba aggregating 2,775 niiles, 

 which compares favorably with the railroad 

 mileage of any state in America. 



Today there are four great railway systems in 

 Cuba, extending from one extremity of the Island 

 to the other. There is an excellent daily train 

 service on the trunk lines and the minor systems, 

 principally used for the transportation of agri- 

 cultural products, have been developed to a high 

 degree of efficiency. 



The four great railway systems of Cuba are: 



United Railways of Havana, 

 The Cuba Railroad, 

 The Cuban Central Railroad, 

 The Western Railway of Havana. 



A reference to the map accompanying this book 

 will illustrate the railway situation more com- 

 pletely than could a verbal explanation. 



The seventeen principal railroads of Cuba, 

 with the mileage of each and the business done 

 by them, appear in the following table: 



