Metro Train / Subway Project Moves Forward

Metro Train / Subway Project Moves Forward


Sherly Diaz / The Panama Post

First steps towards the creation of the subway Some experts argue that this alternative of public transport is the most expensive.

The first steps to carry out one of the major projects of the new government were taken last week when the first Cabinet Council, created through an executive decree, the Secretariat of the Metro at the Ministry of the Presidency. This executive decree is pending enactment to come into force.
The Secretariat of the Metro will be in charge of the design, bidding, construction and operation of the new system of mass transportation in the city of Panama. This Secretariat will be ascribed to the Ministry of the Presidency and Roberto Roy will be in charge. The Secretariat will be constituted by the Executive Secretary and the operative units formed by directions, departments and sections required for its operation.

This entity will be responsible for planning, executing all the measures for the design, implementation, administration, operation and maintenance of a transportation system as the metro. The Ministry of the Presidency will include in its annual budget the necessary estimates for the functioning and operation of this Secretariat. This decision is part of a proposal by the current government administration in order to achieve modernization of the public transportation system in Panama. The design and construction of a mass public transport system, with coverage in the metropolitan area shall be submitted to bidding in the first six months of the government of President Ricardo Martinelli.

"The amount of charges will emphasize the final cost of the work and its consequence in the user's pocket," says the government plan. As stated repeatedly by the President of the Republic, Ricardo Martinelli, the subway will be built over the next three years. When it is ready, the route will cover the East part of the city, starting in the area of The December 24 to the middle of the city, specifically in the area of the May 5 Square. The first phase of the project consists of 15 kilometers of construction which will cost around $ 550 million. This trajectory covers from The December 24 to the May 5 Square.

The second phase of the subway covers 21 kilometers and its cost could reach U.S. $ 1 billion. Sandra Escorcia, appointed as administrator of the Transit Authority and Land Transport (ATT), said that she will be responsible for the bus routes that will carry passengers to the subway until the system is functioning completely. It´s estimated that there are more than 80 bus routes, which will be reordered and, once the railway system starts to operate, they will be re-adjusted to this new system because there will be no buses in the areas by which the railway line crosses.


Sandra Escorcia, Head of the Transit Authority and land Transport (ATTT)

It is estimated that the construction of each kilometer for the implementation of the subway ranges from $ 50 to $ 100 million. The subway will have 21 stops throughout its journey, but it hasn´t yet been defined where they will be located. The idea to build a railway system as the subway has been evaluated by the current administration; and even Martinelli and his Vice President, Juan Carlos Varela, have made visual inspections of subways in Brazil and The Dominican Republic. As a result of a trip to this last country, Martinelli became interested in building a subway in Panama.

Some governments have publicly stated their interest in supporting Panama to pursue this project. This has been expressed by the president of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou, who noted that the Taipei Government would provide advisory in the construction of a subway. Ma Ying-jeou said that the construction of the subway for the city of Panama is "feasible", but that they still need to determine the type and form it may have.

Even the 2009 annual ranking of the World Economic Forum (FEM) placed Panama in position 132 on the quality of the land transport network, which includes 133 countries in the world. The international organization, based in Geneva and dedicated to contribute in solving the problems of the world through studies that show the economic and social situation of each country, placed Panama below countries such as Zambia (49) and Uganda(63).Countries that, according to the report, have less progress than Panama in the distribution of wealth, human rights and political freedom.

Experts give an opinion
Álvaro Uribe, an expert planner, described as "urgent" the need to build a mass transit system similar to the subway that the next government wants to build, because the current transport is of very poor quality. From his point of view it´s necessary to consider the alternatives. "The subway is the most expensive and therefore it must be analyzed carefully," he said. Uribe believes this would be the main disadvantage of this project. The planner explained that the advantages of building a metro in the city of Panama are not very different from those of another transport system such as a light rail. Besides the transport considered, the other big advantage is the creation, recovery and treatment of public space needed for the nodes or stations of the system. And the education required by all of this activity, the civility.

The expert stated that this project is like no other in the region, at least in Central America there is nothing like it. Medellin has a surface train which has yielded good results in a linear city. Meanwhile, in Guatemala, which is not linear, a route in a system of buses has been started, in "assigned lanes" (TransMetro), which is successful. The San Juan's Metro, an elevated and 17 kilometers underground system cost up to U.S. $ 100 million per kilometer.



"The subway is like a Ferrari. Perhaps we would like to have one, but, can we pay for it?" he said. On his part, Martín Isaac Donderis, former president of the Panamanian Society of Engineers and Architects (SPIA), thinks that the construction of a subway is "an excellent idea" because it aims to alleviate the current transportation system. Donderis explained that this new system will help to decongest traffic and travel times. "People are optimistic because they will use the subway and not their cars," he said. The expert noted that every year, 35,000 new cars begin circulation, without having built new roads, leading to vehicular congestion at all hours, mostly in the capital city.

The former President of the SPIA said that the issue of the buses that will carry passengers to the subway must be properly controlled in order to maintain a good service. In his view, the only disadvantage of this new system would be the discomfort that could bring to citizens during the construction period. Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama has developed a document known as Country Agenda 2009, which, among other things, includes the issue of public transport. That document indicates that in order to give a solution to the transport system in the country a special administration and a government subsidy are needed to do not affect the economy of the users.