The reconstruction of the road and the reestablishment of the rail service between Puntarenas and Alajuela is progressing with the signing of the non-reimbursable transfer agreement between the Pre-Investment Fund of the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy and the Costa Rican Institute of Railways.
This financing for ¢314,458,200 will allow the contracting of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies to determine the viability of the project through technical, market, risk, legal, administrative, economic-social, financial and environmental analyzes.
As part of the studies, it is expected to also receive the design and budget of the project, contemplating the basic engineering studies, the design of the railway infrastructure, the electrification of the railway line, as well as signaling and communication.
It must also include an analysis of the possible outsourcing of the operation and maintenance of the railway service, as well as a proposal for its implementation and the respective posters for the execution of the works, the acquisition of land and equipment for the restoration of the service. Once with them, it will be possible to rebuild the railroad and reestablish the rail services of cargo and passenger transport. The railway to the Pacific includes the sections Puerto Caldera – Ciruelas and Km 88.4 – Puntarenas, for a total of 98.3 Km.
The Preinvestment Fund of the Ministry of National Planning will transfer up to ¢314,458,200 for this purpose and that money can only be used to finance the study. From this signature, the Costa Rican Railways Institute has prepared the poster to hire the consultant, who must demonstrate his technical capacity, efficiency and quality of his proposal and will have 12 months to present the studies.
“In the midst of the extraordinary situation we are experiencing, due to the COVID-19 emergency, boosting public investment is a great opportunity to boost the economy and generate employment. The Pre-Investment Fund of the Ministry of National Planning celebrates the opportunity to contribute to the reconstruction and reestablishment of the rail service that will benefit Puntarenas and Alajuela, firstly, but also the country in general, tourism, commerce and construction”, estimated María del Pilar Garrido Gonzalo, minister of the Ministry of National Planning.
After the closure of operations of the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles in 1995, the road infrastructure deteriorated and there was invasion of the right of way in many places, theft of rails and natural damage. Currently, 97% of the railroad between Puntarenas and Alajuela is out of operation, due to its high deterioration or interruptions that impede the movement of trains.
However, it has been valued that the reactivation of this railway segment would contribute to alleviating the growing agglomeration of cargo vehicles on Route 27, would accompany the sustained growth of port and cruise activity in the Port of Caldera and would complement the expansion of the Route 17, among other benefits.