Image : A Be520 series train set for Cuba. The off-center contact line is clearly visible. Jens Kaubisch (2007)

Some years ago, a strategy paper was already talking about standardizing the power supply and therefore switching to the alternating current used on the Sihltal line, which is also widespread in other parts of Switzerland. This re-electrification will therefore take place in August 2022. This means that the current trainsets, i.e. 8 railcars (Be 520) from 1993 and 4 towed vehicles from 2003 will have to be prematurely withdrawn from the network. Knowing that these engines are single-current and that there is almost no other network in the world supplied with 1200V continuous current, these vehicles are therefore destined to be scrapped. This may be perplexing considering that these vehicles are only 28 years old for the engines and 20 years old for the trailers.

As soon as our association heard about this in 2020, it immediately thought of the Hershey network in Cuba, as it is the only Cuban railway line to be electrified. Moreover, as if by coincidence, it perfectly combines the characteristics of the Uetliberg line : standard gauge track (1435mm) and, above all, the same direct current (1200V). The only difference is the off-center contact line, which is obviously centered in Cuba.

These vehicles are in excellent condition and must therefore be taken out of service despite the fact that they meet the strict technical requirements that are and will be in force in Switzerland, including the mandatory accessibility for people with reduced mobility from 2023. A simple logic of support for the circular economy naturally favors their reuse and not their demolition.

The members of our association have been assisting the Cuban authorities for more than two years in order to prepare the transfer of these vehicles. Cuban railway experts have been invited to Zurich in November 2021 to analyze the few adaptations needed to guarantee reliable traffic for at least 20 years on the ” Hershey ” network. Apart from the centering of the pantograph and some adaptations to the electronics, which also date from the 90s, the eight drive units are in perfect condition. Siemens having built these vehicles, it is quite logical that this same company, and more particularly the experts of SIEMENS Portugal, located in Lisbon, are able to make these adaptations.

The association has undertaken to organize the transport of these vehicles to Portugal. The cheapest route is to load these vehicles onto a truck and store them near the port of Birsfelden, near Basel. In batches of six, the vehicles will be loaded onto river barges to reach the port of Rotterdam. From there, a transfer on a sea cargo ship will take place to Portugal, where the vehicles will be unloaded and brought to the SIEMENS workshops in Lisbon. Once the adaptations on the eight engines have been made, a cargo ship will take the twelve vehicles to the port of Haiphong, in Havana, where they can be put directly on the rails of the ” Hershey ” network.

The logistics costs for the 12 vehicles from Zurich to Lisbon amount to CHF 600,000. SIEMENS will make a total of CHF 6.2 million in adaptations to the locomotives. These last costs, as well as the storage in Lisbon and the maritime transfer from Lisbon to Havana, must be entirely financed by the Cuban party.

It will also involve training local maintenance teams in the upkeep of this equipment, in order to guarantee its longevity. Our association will work closely with SIEMENS Portugal to achieve this.

Outlook beyond 2022

The Cuban Ministry of Transport (MITRANS) has informed us that it wishes to continue the collaboration with our association, especially to continue the recovery of the Hershey network and the decarbonization of its electric energy production. Our association is therefore likely to be committed to this project for several more years.