Heredia's new train just around the corner

Costa Rican government purchased 4 trains from Spain. Two Spanish technicians came to the country to adapt the train wheels to the railroads because they were wider than the Costa Rican dimensions. Now, these trains are about to start operations in the 7.4 mile distance between Heredia and San Jose with the main goal of avoiding rush hour traffic that can take one and a half hour to get in and out of the province. The inauguration voyage was the first after 13 years of its closure due to the losses in the Costa Rican budget.

These modern units have security cameras, electronic doors, air conditioned and sound systems. They will have an 18-minute non-stop service and a 30 minute normal service. Each train has a capacity for 250 passengers. It’s expected to have 42 trips during the course of a day. The fee of the ticket will be only ¢350 ($.65).

The traffic signs are an issue that will be covered in the next few days. It’s expected by the Costa Rican Railroad Institute (Incofer) that the route will be functioning at the end of this May 2009. Two trains are waiting for the finishing touches to be proven immediately. Meanwhile, the first two trains were tested this week. The air conditioned, the lights, the brakes, among other extras were proved for safety dispositions. All this renovation for the new service had a cost of $3.5 million.