The new project for the Electric Train of the Greater San José Metropolitan Area (GAM) in Costa Rica – the design, construction and operation of which will soon be put out to tender – has been presented. This project, which promotes sustainable mobility, has the technical and financial support of the European Union (EU) as part of its Global Gateway strategy.
The project, proposed by Costa Rica’s public railway company, INCOFER, consists in the modernisation of the two-way railway system that connects the capital San José to the cities of Heredia (located 10 kilometres away, it is home to the National University of Costa Rica); Cartago (about 25 kilometres away, it is the country’s religious centre), and Alajuela (about 20 kilometres away, it is home to the Juan Santamaría International Airport), in 18, 40, and 45 minutes, respectively. It will be a fully electrified surface line, with the capacity to transport up to 600 passengers per train and over 100,000 passengers per day, seven days a week.
The project, which is estimated to take between three and five years to be completed, plans to renovate the existing 50 kilometres of railway line with 46 stops along the way, but also to implement direct intermodal connections at major intersections through mixed stations designed to facilitating integration with other transport services, such as buses, taxis, and non-motorised vehicles.
The cost of the entire project is estimated at around USD 800 million, of which USD 550 million will be financed by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and the Green Climate Fund, while the European Investment Bank (EIB) is finalising the procedures to provide the remaining USD 250 million.
