Panama Metro boss lauds progress

ROBERTO ROY, director of Panama Metro, S.A., took time out  on Friday June 16 to report on the achievements of the transport system in the last three years, but users still have their frustrations particularly  with Metro buses that fail to arrive on time.

Roy reported that – in 38 months of service, up to May 31, the Metro transported 212.6 million passengers.

In order to cope with the increase in demand, the Government has acquired 70 new wagons, raising the existing fleet to 26 trains of 5 wagons each.

The construction of line 2 of the Metro Line 2 is 45% advanced and expect to start the “static” and “dynamic” tests of the trains is expected to start at the end of 2018.

Referring to  upcoming line 3, he said  that in December 2016, companies interested in the project made a tour of the area  where the will take place

[Arraiján], and on  June 2 this year  the act of pre-qualification of the Consortia that will be chosen for the bidding of the new line, took place. It should be ready ist in 2022.

Meanwhile, the general manager of First Transit Panamá,

(MiBus), Alfonso Penedo, indicated that the implementation of the transport stabilization plan is 56% advanced.

He said  that 203 new buses will arrive in the country in October of this year to Join the fleet of one 1,236 vvehicles”There has been a noticeable improvement in the service offered to users “he said.

He also mentioned that they  had met the objective of reducing absenteeism among drivers from 20% to 7%

Finally, he said that they are working on the implementation of maintenance campaigns to improve the fleet. For example, he specified that they repair the drain valves of the air conditioning of the buses to avoid dripping in the interior, which affects users.

Users still have complaints  with the service provided by both the Metro and the Metro Bus.

Esperanza Mena, the coordinator of the Foundation for Protection Of Public Transport Users, said that in the case of the Metro, although it is relatively fast, it needs to expand hours of service.

According to Mena, most passengers begin to transport themselves from 4:00 a.m., but the railway system starts operating at 5:00 a.m. “I believe that they must advance for at least an hour their operation for the benefit of the working class,” he said.