The Costa Rican Government announced important advances in the process of construction of an Electric Train in the Great Metropolitan Area, which is starting its feasibility stage, this project has received a donation of $1 million dollars from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.

The plan is that the Electric Train connects the main cities of the four provinces of the Great Metropolitan Area (GAM) (San Jose, Heredia, Cartago and Alajuela), going through 15 counties in 73 kilometers (45.36 miles). It will have an innovative design that will promote connected cities and efficiency in the transportation of passengers to their destinations without producing atmospheric or sound contamination.

“This Administration has the commitment of modernizing the train service to guarantee sustainable, efficient and high quality transportation to the population”, commented the First Lady Claudia Dobles.

In the process that just concluded, it was decided to use the existing right of way and in this way avoid expropriations, this will also allow connections with other means of transportation such as bus routes or bicycle lanes.

The idea is that the electric train transits during the day and with a frequency of between 3 to 5 minutes. The number of stations would go from 24 existing ones to 42.

The Costa Rican Train Institute (INCOFER) announced the beginning of the feasibility tender, process that will have a cost of $1.3 million, this stage includes the social and environmental impact as well as the technical aspect and the concession structure.

“The carrying out of this public work cannot be put off and is of fundamental importance for the country. We will guarantee that this feasibility stage is developed through a rigorous and transparent process of hiring through a donation from the international cooperation of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI)”, commented Ottón Solís, representative of Costa Rica for the CABEI.