Beginning of the project to extend Subway Line 1 of Panama

The President of the Republic of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, accompanied by the Minister of Public Works, Rafael Sabonge, and Héctor Ortega, President of the Panama Metro, among other authorities, have been present today at the start date of work to extend Line 1 of the Panama Subway to Villa Zaíta, a work carried out by OHL in a joint venture for an amount of 180 million euros.

This is the first initiative that the company has undertaken in Panama in addition to other projects developed in several Latin American countries, where it has been present and active for over 40 years.

More specifically, OHL will carry out a 2.2 km extension of Subway Line 1 connecting Panama and Villa Zaíta. The works will also include a terminal station on the northern end of the line, with a capacity for more than 10,000 passengers at rush hour. The company will also build a bus interchange with capacity for more than 8,000 passengers and a parking lot with 800 spaces. Another component of the project is the expansion of the Via Transístmica to six lanes and a two-level traffic segment, in addition to pedestrian and landscaping improvements, which will be carried out on the existing easement.

With its first project in Panama, OHL expands and consolidates its presence in Latin America, where it has carried out civil works and unique building projects. In the railway area, the most noteworthy projects include the Medellín (Colombia) tramway, the first modern tramway system in Latin America, with a length of 4.3 km and a gradient of up to 12.5% – the largest in the world’s tramway system; the construction of a section in the project to extend Line 3 of the Santiago de Chile (Chile) Subway; the first section of the intercity train that links Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico, and Mexico City, which is 36.15 km in length, and Line 2 of the Guadalajara Subway, located in capital of the State of Jalisco, also in Mexico.