The Panama Metro is a metropolitan railway which crosses the city of Panama, promoted by the Government of Panama. The project began construction in February and its first line was delivered on April 4, 2014, an execution listed as a record, given the scale of the work.

COST

This project had an initial cost estimated 1,452 million dollars.The Executive Secretariat for the Metro, responsible for the project, allocated resources in the 2010 budget by 30 million dollars for the commencement of the works.It is estimated that each kilometre cost $ 130 million. In December, the Secretary of the Panama Metro said that the updated cost estimate is 1.880 million dollars, including the relocation of utilities and engineering and administrative expenses.

FUNDING AND ADVICE

Countries such as Brazil and the Republic of China (Taiwan) 13 gave credit to the Panamanian nation to carry out this project. In terms of the advice received 48 proposals for international companies, which sought to become advisors of the project of modernization of the public transport.But in the end seven consortia of Brazil, United States, Mexico, France, Spain and Switzerland were selected to participate in the tender of advice for the project of construction of a metro in the Panamanian capital. Consortia URS Holdings Inc. (USA), Parsons - Brinkerhoff (USA), Metro de Madrid (Spain), Metro de Barcelona (Spain), COTEBA (France) and PÖYRY/Cal and wholesale partners (Switzerland, Mexico and Panama) were held to advise the entire process of design, tender and subsequent execution of the project, said the Executive Secretary of the Panama Metro, Roberto Roy.En October 2009 it was determined that the Panamanian Mexican Swiss Consortium PÖYRY/Cal and wholesale and partners would be in charge of this project. The proposal presented by the responsible Consortium is based on a fixed $ 2 million budget and a period of nine months of counseling. The contract includes route tracing and planes with technical specifications which form part of the tender for the construction of the work in December 2010. The total cost of the project is estimated at $ 1 billion and has the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF). The other three companies that competed in the bidding for the design of the metro were French Coteba, transports metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and Metro of Madrid.

PROJECT

The first and second phase of the project is now complete, which is a phase of planning, estimation of costs and technical feasibility; as well as studies of soil, topography, refinement of the demand, I cadastre, among others. Also in the month of December 2009 was launched the official logo of the Panama metro. Today are already in the third and fourth phase of construction which are the relocation of utilities and construction of all stations, both buried as viaducts. Meter was delivered by the President of the Republic Ricardo Martineli on April 5 and April 6 began to provide the service.

LINES

The line 1 of the Metro of Panama has a stroke mainly in North-South direction and unites national Terminal station of bus "Albrook", with the Centre commercial "Los Andes" in the North of the Metropolitan Area of Panama City, has a length of approximately 13.7 kilometers. This route is located in a high demand for public transport corridor. Secretary of the Metro, Roberto Roy, revealed, 6 January 2010 the route of the first new metro line that will be built in the city of Panama.

THE PATH OR ITS STATIONS

Metro includes the construction of 15 stations, of which 8 will be buried, six will be high and will be a level surface with a length of approximately 100 metres from anden.

1.  Surface: the surface station will be located at the terminal of Albrook as a place where there is great concentration of people due to the movement of passengers through the terminal transport, and the commercial activity that is generated there, according to the project. 
2.  Underground: the first underground station will be the Curundu [also thinking in the future City Government], which is expected to be constructed after the opening of the line. Then it will be what will accordingly be the first provisional underground station, station Plaza 5 de Mayo. Then continue to the lottery, and Santo Tomás stations. Of agreement with levels underground, then continue to three stations more than they will be in the Church of Carmen, Via Argentina and the Via Fernández de Córdoba. Contemplating the long journey between the season Fernández de Córdoba and the first viaduct station, has contemplated building the station of El Ingenio, which was to become the last underground station of line 1. 
3.  High: the first elevated station will be the station October 12 the following will be located in new town (close to the Blue Star company). San Miguelito will get called "Exchange station", which will be at the big station, where it is expected to give the service of buses and taxis. The last two seasons will be in sugar loaf and Los Andes, where will conclude the first new metro line that, according to Roy, must be built for early 2014. Los Andes will be one station temporary, since approved an extension of the line for an additional station in San Isidro.