Hitachi-led consortium awarded US$883m Rolling Stock contract of Panama Metro Line-3

Panama City, United States (Urban Transport News): The consortium of  Hitachi Ltd, Hitachi Rail STS and Mitsubishi Corporation has awarded a contract worth US$883 million (JPY 92.0 billion) to supply Rolling Stock trains and Railway Systems for Panama Metro Line-3 (Monorail Project).

The prime contractor of Panama City Metro Line-3, a consortium of Hyundai Engineering & Construction, POSCO and Hyundai Engineering Co (HPH), has signed the contract on 30th October 2020.

According to the contract, Hitachi and Hitachi Rail will provide 28 six-car vehicles (168 cars), the signaling systems, telecommunication systems, power systems, control center, platform screen doors and depot equipment for the monorail while Mitsubishi Corporation will manage the administration of the project.

"When it opens in mid-2025, Line 3 of Panama Metro will transform the way people in Panama move, work and live. The monorail will move its passengers through the urban core and fast-growing west side of Panama City with ease before crossing the Panama Canal to tackle the route's many hills and steep grade. With breathtaking panoramic views, this line is expected to serve hundreds of thousands of passengers per year. Approximately 800 local jobs are expected to be created during the development of Line 3," said the official release.

 Jason White, CEO of Hitachi Rail Group America said:

At Hitachi, innovative technology underpins our product range and transportation solutions. In order to provide efficient and cost-effective means of transportation for passengers and operators, we are very pleased to be a provider of cutting-edge railway systems. 

“With high-performance and energy-efficient vehicles, the new monorail will deliver a greener future with better mobility for all, " he added.

In February 2020, Panama Metro had awarded a contract worth US$2·5bn to the HPH joint venture of Hyundai Engineering & Construction, POSCO and Hyundai Engineering Co to build Line 3. PHP beat rival bids from China Railway Group, a consortium of Acciona Construcción and China Power, and a consortium of FCC, CICSA and SKEC.

The 26·7 km elevated double-track Monorail route with 14 stations is scheduled to open in mid-2025, running from Albrook on Metro Line 1 to Ciudad del Futuro, including a crossing of the Panama Canal.