Panama metro grows
THE President of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, officially opened the 2km branch of the Panama City metro to Tocumen International Airport on March 16. The new line, which is the first metro or rail service to an airport in Central America, is currently served by a shuttle connecting with Metro Line 2 services at Corredur Sur. First opened in 2014, the Panama Metro is now about 40km long and uses Alstom ‘Metropolis’ EMUs made in Barcelona. Extensions are planned for the system in coming decades; the next to open is likely to be Line 3, a 26.7km-long monorail system using Hitachi-built trains.