The Metro authorities are considering the possibility of extending Line 3 to Costa Verde, in the district of La Chorrera, instead of to Ciudad del Futuro, in Arraiján, as originally planned.
The executive secretary of the Panama Metro, Roberto Roy, told Prensa.com that the idea is to build an interchange at Costa Verde, province of La Chorrera.If the plan comes to fruition, Line 3 will go all the way to the province of La Chorrera and not just to Arraiján.
The construction of the Curundú station on Line 1 could be tendered after completion of construction of Line 2 and once the Line 3 process has been started.
Without specifying where the resources will come from, the head of Metro de Panamá S.A., Roberto Roy, explained that during the construction of the first line they allowed for space to build a new station, and that the tender will not be done before finishing construction of Line 2.
With the approval of a $137 million bank loan Panama Metro will be able to complete the process of buying 70 new cars for Line 1.
From a statement issued by the Presidency of Panama:
The Cabinet Council has authorized the finalisation of a loan agreement between the Republic of Panama, represented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and ING BANK, A BRANCH OF ING-DIBA AG and Citibank, NA for 137 million 339 thousand dollars for the acquisition of 70 new train cars to be used for transport in the Panama Metro.
Reports state that the swiss UBS and Mexico's Inbursa are the banks that could lead the new financing structure for finishing construction of Line 2, which is currently 33% complete.
Following the departure of the group of banks led by Citibank, the construction consortium FCC and Brazil's Odebrecht have informed the Secretariat of the Panama Metro that negotiations have now been finalised with two banks to secure financing to complete the work.
The area in the Pacific entrance to the Canal could be leased by the State for the construction and operation of logistics infrastructure such as warehouses, cold storage facilities, ship repairs and a port for vehicles.
The 1,200 hectares owned by the State and "discovered" after cleaning and dredging of the areas surrounding the Canal expansion are part of a development plan that the Ministry of Affairs of the Canal is preparing to start when the new locks come into operation. The initial proposal is to lease the land to private companies so that they can develop the area, providing logistics services, transportation and communications to related industries.
The Master Plan includes 90 stations to provide transport service for Panama City and its metropolitan area: San Miguelito, Arraiján and La Chorrera.
The director of the Panama Metro, Roberto Roy presented the master plan for the Metro which proposes a network of eight lines planned for 2040, which includes line 1 which is in operation and line 2, which is under construction.
It has been announced that studies are being carried out for the design and construction of a new station in Villa Zaita, 2 kilometers ahead of the current line´s last stop, at an estimated cost of $181 million.
The new station that the government plans to develop will be located in Villa Zaita, and will become the final station of Line 1. This station will extend the line that starts at Albrook by 2.2 km.
The consortium led by France's Alstom won the contract to supply the integrated system including 21 trains, substations and command systems for the trains.
Alstom, the leader of the consortium that won the tender, has been commissioned to provide the trains and launch Line 1. The contract for Line 2 of Metro de Panama states that the consortium will provide all trains, stations and operate the line.
In exchange for "soft" financing conditions, the Japanese company would be in charge of the electromechanical works of Metro Line 3.
Although negotiations between the two governments have not yet been finalised, the participation of a Japanese company in the execution of electromechanical works of the project is the condition for China to grant funding for the entire project.
Three consortiums made up of Chinese, Spanish, Peruvian, Brazilian and Mexican companies submitted bids for the design and construction of Line 2 of the Panama Metro.
From a statement issued by the Metro Department of Panama:
The Metro de Panama SA this morning received proposals from three consortia aspiring build Line 2 of the Panama Metro.
A bill has been presented that would grant the company obtaining the concession to build and operate the container port in Corozal Oeste the same tax benefits as other port operators in Panama.
From a statement issued by the National Assembly of Panama:
A bill establishing similar tax exemptions as those in other ports will be offered by the Panama Canal Authority to the company granted the concession for the design, construction, development and operation of the port complex in Corozal Oeste, was presented to the full the National Assembly by the Minister for Canal Affairs, Roberto Roy.
The Metro Secretary is considering extending the line 1 even more than already planned, completing 18 or 20 kilometers and connecting with Villa Zaíta in the province of Panama.
The study to extend Line 1 of the Panama Metro has already been started, and now it has "... completed the route and up to the area where the station will be located." With this project the plan is to extend by 3-4 kilometers to connect with Via Zaíta.
At the request of the companies taking part in the contest, the Metro Secretary has extended the deadline for submission of bids for line 2.
The deadline for submitting financial bids to participate in the tender process for Line 2 of the Panama Metro has been postponed until January 30, 2015.
The Secretary of the Metro announced that starting 2015 the trains and stations on Line 1 will have advertising spaces that will be offered through competitive tenders.
Following the example of Hong Kong and Singapore, the Secretariat of the Metro will make available advertising space in stations and on trains, from which it expects to receive $25.2 million and will use some of those funds to pay for fare subsidies.
A loan from the Japanese government for the construction of the third line of the Metro will have a term of 25 years, a seven-year grace period and an interest rate of 2.5%.
As was announced in July 2013, the Government of Japan will provide the resources for the construction of the third line of the Metro, whose final route will be up to Ciudad del Futuro in Arraiján.