Panama Metro Line 1 About Completion

Spanish infrastructure company FCC has announced that the $1.8bn Panama Metro Line 1, Central America’s first metro and the ninth in Latin America, is now over 90% complete.

A consortium comprising FCC, Brazilian construction company Odebrecht and Alstom, revealed that dynamic testing is currently underway along the 14km route.
The dynamic testing allows the examination of all operational components concerning the circulation of the vehicles.
At present, the works are focused on conducting the required testing for all equipment and systems currently deployed, including catenaries and railways.
On 13 September, FCC successfully completed the inaugural trial of trains along a 2km test run between the Albrook and 5 de Mayo stations in Panama City.
The trial run was attended by Panama President Ricardo Martinelli and the Metro executive secretary Roberto Roy.
Panama Metro Line 1 is 14km long with 11 stations, some of which will run above ground.
The line will run from the Grand National Transport Terminal in Albrook to the Los Andes shopping centre, in the town of San Miguelito, and is expected to directly benefit nearly one million people.
The new metro will help reduce the increasing traffic congestion in the city, with an estimated capacity to carry 15,000 people an hour in 2014, which will rise to 40,000 people an hour by 2035.
The project’s total budget includes civil-engineering work and rolling stock.
The consortium, which secured the contract in 2010, will deliver the rolling stock.