Rail transport in Panama
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Since 2008, there was only one functioning
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
in
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
, a number that increased to two in 2014 with the opening of the Panama Metro. The first one was the
Panama Canal Railway The Panama Canal Railway ( es, Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America. The route stretches across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa (Pacific, near P ...
, operated by the Panama Canal Railway Company, successor of
Panama Railway The Panama Canal Railway ( es, Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America. The route stretches across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón, Panama, Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa, P ...
, which provides passenger and freight service between
Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
(on the Pacific coast) and Colón (on the Atlantic coast). In 2014,
Panama Metro The Panama Metro ( es, Metro de Panamá) is a rapid transit system in Panama City, Panama. It links the south and the east of the metropolitan area to the city center. The metro was inaugurated on April 5, 2014, and it entered revenue service tw ...
started operation. Historically, there were also narrow gauge railroads in
Chiriquí Province Chiriquí () is a province of Panama located on the western coast; it is the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population ...
(Ferrocarril de Chiriquí), which were abandoned in the late 20th century.


Panama Canal Railway

During the first half of the 19th century, travel across the
Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...
was difficult and dangerous. The need for a more reliable interoceanic communication grew stronger after the acquisition of
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
by the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The construction of a transcontinental railroad started in 1850 and the first train from coast to coast passed on January 28, 1855. However, more than twelve thousand workers probably died during the construction. The railway greatly assisted in the building of
Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
, which closely paralleled and in some places took over the rail line. Parts of the rail route were moved during the building of the canal, and considerable additions were made to the rail system. The rebuilt and improved Panama Railway beside the canal was completed in 1912. In 1979, the United States government handed over control of the Canal Zone and railway to the government of Panama. On 19 June 1998, the government of Panama turned over control to the private Panama Canal Railway Company ("PCRC"). The Panama Railway was originally broad gauge, but when it was rebuilt in 2000, the gauge was changed to . The route is long across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa (Pacific, near
Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
). As of 2015, Panama Canal Railway Company runs both passenger and freight trains between
Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
and Colón. Passenger service consists of one service in each direction Monday-Friday and the regular one way fare is US$25.


Ferrocarril de Chiriquí

At the end of the nineteenth century, the government of Panama studied the feasibility of additional railroads. In 1910, Panama Railway was commissioned to estimate cost of a railroad from
Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
to
David, Chiriquí David (), known as David City in colonial times, is a city and corregimiento in the west of Panama. It is the capital of the province of Chiriquí and has an estimated population of 82,907 inhabitants as confirmed in 2013. It is a relatively afflue ...
with branches to
Antón Antón is a corregimiento in Antón District, Coclé Province, Panama. It is located near the north-western shore of the Gulf of Panama The Gulf of Panama ( es, Golfo de Panamá) is a gulf of the Pacific Ocean off the southern coast of Panam ...
(
Coclé Province Coclé () is a province of central Panama on the nation's southern coast. The administrative capital is the city of Penonomé. This province was created by the Act of September 12, 1855 with the title of Department of Coclé during the presidenc ...
) and Los Santos. The costs were however too high and the government decided to construct additional network in Chiriquí Province only. In 1914, a contract was signed for construction of a railroad David - Boquete - Concepción with a branch Dolega - Potrerillos and another short one to Puerto Pedregal. The railroad was inaugurated on April 23, 1916, with the first train from David to Boquete. Edwards Rail Car company reports an undated acknowledgment of their three railcars, which were delivered to Ferrocarril de Chiriquí probably in the 1920s. After 1974, the infrastructure of Chiriquí Railroads was transferred to Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Obras Públicas) and operations were stopped around 1990. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the tracks of the defunct railroads are being dismantled and reused for construction of bridges in rural areas In David, the depot is now a public library, while a steam locomotive, No. 1, is on display at the city's fairground. Rehabilitation of the depot and the rolling stock located at La Concepción for a new museum began in January 2021.


Chiriquí Land Company

The Chiriquí Land Company was a
United Fruit The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
company involved in banana growing and real estate management in Panama. It also operated railroads that at their peak totaled about 300 km, more than the Panama Railroad and FNC put together. Their primary traffic was bananas, but it also ran public passenger and freight trains. These were divided into two systems of similar size, both entirely
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
. The southern, in
Chiriquí Province Chiriquí () is a province of Panama located on the western coast; it is the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population ...
, was closed by 1988. The northern, in
Bocas del Toro Province Bocas del Toro (; meaning "Mouth of the Bull") is a province of Panama. Its area is 4,643.9 square kilometers, comprising the mainland and nine main islands. The province consists of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Bahía Almirante (Almirante Bay ...
, covered Almirante,
Changuinola Changuinola is a city in the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama and seat city of the Changuinola District. The city attracts tourists as a popular gateway to Bocas Town and nearby cities Almirante and Chiriqui Grande. Changuinola is surrounded ...
,
Guabito Guabito is a corregimiento and town in the Changuinola District of the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental countr ...
and parts of
Sixaola Sixaola is a district of the Talamanca canton, in the Limón province of Costa Rica. It is a border town together with Guabito, Panamá Sixaola is right across the Sixaola River from Guabito, Panama. History Sixaola was created on 19 Februar ...
. The last-mentioned section closed in 1999, leaving only the bridge over
Changuinola River The Changuinola River is a river of Panama. See also *List of rivers of Panama This is a list of rivers in Panama. By drainage basin This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name. ...
. The remainder was closed between 2005 and 2008. The railroad used
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
engines.


Trams

Two separate and distinct
tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
or
streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
systems operated in
Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
. The first started service on October 1, 1893, and ended during the
Thousand Days' War The Thousand Days' War ( es, Guerra de los Mil Días) was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Colombian Liberal Party, Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party (Colomb ...
. The second started in 1913 and operated, with reorganizations and company transferrals, until May 31, 1941. There have been proposals for a tramway system to supplement the Panama City Metro, but as of 2017 no construction has taken place.


Panama City Metro

Contracts were awarded in 2010 for line 1 of the
Panama Metro The Panama Metro ( es, Metro de Panamá) is a rapid transit system in Panama City, Panama. It links the south and the east of the metropolitan area to the city center. The metro was inaugurated on April 5, 2014, and it entered revenue service tw ...
in
Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
, with 14 stations. Service began in April 2014, and the first phase of line two began service in 2019, bringing the total number of stations to 29.


Panama City-David railway

The government of Panama and China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group had collaborated to construct a new
high-speed railway High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, line ...
between Panama City and David, following the formalization of Panamanian-Chinese relations in June 2017. The project, favored by president
Juan Carlos Varela Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez (; born 13 December 1963) is a Panamanian businessman and former politician who served as the President of Panama from 2014 to 2019. Varela was Vice President of Panama from 2009 to 2014, and Minister of Foreign ...
, was cancelled by September 2019 by his successor
Laurentino Cortizo Laurentino "Nito" Cortizo Cohen (; born 30 January 1953) is a Panamanian politician who has served as the President of Panama since 2019. Cortizo is the former President of the National Assembly and Minister of Agricultural and Livestock Devel ...
.


See also

*
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
*
Transport in Panama Transport in Panama includes a vast network of public buses, metro lines, railways, waterways and airports. The Panama Canal Railway is an expansive railway line that provides transportation for passengers and goods across the country. Panama cont ...
*
Panama Railway The Panama Canal Railway ( es, Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America. The route stretches across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón, Panama, Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa, P ...
*
Rail transport by country This page provides an index of articles on rail transport by country. International railway organisations * International Union of Railways (UIC) * International Union of Public Transport (UITP) * Association of American Railways (AAR) Afri ...


References


External links


Panama Canal Railway Company

Video
fro
Pája's Travelogue
featuring a train ride along Panama Railway and engines (mules) of Panama Canal (narrative in
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...
)
UNHCP Atlas Map
{{North America in topic, Rail transport in