Cuba signed a contract Saturday with Russia for the purchase of 75 locomotives for the transport of sugar cane.

Russia's Sinara Transport Machines will supply 75 diesel TGM-8 and TGM-4 locomotives between 2017 and 2021.

The contract also contains provisions for the modernization of a locomotive machine shop in Havana and the delivery of spare parts for the maintenance of Cuba's fleet of locomotives and technical assistance for Cuban personnel.

"For us, the re-establishment of ties is highly important, as the majority of the TGM locomotives acquired by the country have been in use for more than 40 years," Havana-based Prensa Latina news agency quoted an official of the Cuban Railway Union as saying.