Hitachi Rail and Mitsubishi Corp signed a USD 883 million contract with HPH Consortium, the prime contractor for Panama Metro Line 3, for the supply of rolling stock and equipment for the new line.
Under the contract, Hitachi will deliver 28 six-car vehicles (168 cars), the signalling, telecommunication and power systems, control center, platform screen doors and depot equipment for the new line. Mitsubishi Corporation will manage the administration of the project.
“In order to provide efficient and cost-effective means of transport for passengers and operators, we are very pleased to be a provider of cutting-edge railway systems. With high-performance and energy-efficient vehicles, the new monorail will deliver a greener future with better mobility for all,” Jason White, Executive Officer for the Americas, Hitachi Rail Group, said.
Panama Metro Line 3 will be a 25 km-long elevated double-track monorail system served by 14 new stations that will use re-generative power trains. The line will be constructed from Albrook station on the Line 1, to Ciudad del Futuro, crossing the Panama Canal through a tunnel, with a total length of 4 km.
Hitachi’s B-CHOP (Energy Storage for Traction Power Supply) system will be used to harness the train’s re-generative power, substantially reducing energy consumption throughout the railway system. When the train is in braking mode it can produce regenerative power, reducing CO2 emissions while providing power for future use that does not need to be drawn from a central power grid.
The Line 3 will connect the province of Panama Oeste with the province of Panama, reducing the average travel time in rush hour, from 90 to 45 minutes. It is estimated that this line will have a capacity of 20,000 passengers per hour per direction in peak hours, with an interval between trains of 4 minutes. The new line is expected to be opened in mid-2025 when it will transform the way people in Panama move, work and live.
The monorail will transport the passengers through the urban core and fast-growing west side of Panama City with ease before crossing the Panama Canal to tackle the route’s many hills and steep grade.
With breathtaking panoramic views, this line is expected to serve hundreds of thousands of passengers per year. Approximately 800 local jobs are expected to be created during the development of Line 3.
“In Panama, as in many urbanized areas of the world, heavy traffic congestion impacts economic activity, public health and quality of life. This line will reduce traffic and carbon dioxide emissions, and the trains themselves are designed of energy-efficient materials,” said Enzo Carpanetti, the Director of Sales & Project Management for Latin America, Hitachi Ltd. Railway Systems Business Unit.
On 29 October, the Metro de Panamá has signed the construction contract with the HPH Consortium comprising Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Posco and Hyundai Engineering.
Share on:
