Costa Rica News – The electric train is going to pass every 3-5 minutes and will have 42 stations in the Greater Metropolitan Area, according to the Government. Of these, 37 will be level and five elevated. This is a big jump from the 24 stations the current train system has.
The idea is that the electric train will quickly get people where they need to go and will connect to other modes of transport like bus routes and bike lanes. There will be 11 intermodal nodes that connect to buses. It should make a difference in the congestion on the roads, at least in the 15 cantons it will service.
The pre-feasibility, “value engineering,” phase has been completed and the project is moving on to feasibility studies. This will be financed with $1 million donated by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.
The phase will take until August and will include environmental and social impact studies, a technical component and the business model for the concession. Later $300,000 will come from the Incofer. Additionally, a loan is being processed with BCIE. The total cost of the project is $1,235 million.
The electric train project is considered the backbone for a transformation of the country’s public transportation system.