PANAMA’s National Assembly budget committee has approved a $US 9.6m budget transfer to Panama Metro for rail maintenance, security upgrades and project management fees. The additional payments come as passenger traffic on the capital’s metro network continues to rise sharply.
The approved package will not be publicly tendered as it is directed to established contractors who already have a track record of working successfully with the metro. The package is made up of:
• $US 3.07m for Line 1 maintenance and upgrades to workshop and office HVAC systems
• $US 3.2m to Nippon Koei LAC for future project management services associated with the Villa Zaíta extension project
• $US 1.38m for upgrades to station public address systems and the metro’s central video surveillance infrastructure, and
• $US 2.01m to the Line 2 Consortium for the upkeep of elevated infrastructure, subsystem electronics, and auxiliary power components.
Metro officials say the capital injection is necessary following a major increase in ridership across Lines 1 and 2, with the system recently handling up to 450,000 passenger journeys per day.
Panama Metro, which entered service in 2014, has become a critical component of urban transport in Panama City’s metropolitan area. Authorities have increasingly focused on network resilience, maintenance and operational oversight as ridership continues to expand.
Trial running recently started on the 25km Line 3 monorail that is due to open for passenger service in 2028 with trains supplied by a partnership of Hitachi and Mitsubishi.
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