Marta completes first leg of Metro subway tunnel

The  giant TBM (tunnel boring machine) "Marta",  which began work on the Metro subway tunnel in January, arrived at Plaza Cinco de Mayo on August 1.

It began   operations on January 23, south of Albrook, and has been excavating an average of 16 meters a day

 It will continue on  the along  the route that begins in El Marañon, to the Santo Tomas Hospital  and then  to the Church of El Carmen.

 "Marta" digs a tunnel about 10 meters in diameterand to date  has dug a distance of 1,463 meters. Metro Line One will end at the  station of Los Andes, in the district of San Miguelito. The cost of the project is over $1.5 billion.  President Ricardo Martinelli said that works are how the taxes of the Panamanian people are invested.