Two freight wagons loaded with cement beams which were parked in an area of the train track in San Rafael de Alajuela, detached for reasons still unknown and dragged a vehicle that was crossing the railroad. According to witnesses the wagons dragged the car for close to 400 meters and eventually overturned crushing the car and killing the driver and passenger; a third victim which was not in t...

(Photo: Illustration Purposes Only) An African American man from the United States and his wife, a Costa Rican woman from Puerto Viejo, Limon were stopped today by the transit police because their “marchamo” (vehicle’s circulation permit, similar to the registration payment in the United States) was not visible. Apparently the marchamo was indeed paid and up to date but the sticker was place...

The traffic in Costa Rica is crazy, certainly promoting other means of transportation specially clean ones such as cycling sounds like a great idea, but the problem remains that the country’s current infrastructure doesn’t make this a simple possibility, cars, buses, taxis, motorbikes and the train already have enough problems sharing the streets as it is … yet, the San Jose Municipality will be c...

A lot of car accidents take place every day in Costa Rica, the majority of them minor incidents, and many times it happens that drivers are unsure on how to act or what to do in these situations. If you have a minor accident whether it is your fault or the other driver’s fault, you have two choices, you can call the traffic cops and insurance company, which means you have to stay in the scene o...

The route that connects San Jose (Sabana) to Caldera, Puntarenas, known as Route 27 will have another increase in its toll fees as of January 1st, 2018; the increase corresponds to an ordinary adjustment as established in the concession contract. The price will increase between ȼ10 and ȼ30 colones depending on the type of vehicle and some of the tolls will maintain the same price; in the case ...

Route 27 that connects La Sabana, San Jose with Caldera in Puntarenas (77 Km total) was inaugurated in 2010 with a cost of $336 million between the initial cost ($301 million) and additional work approved ($35 million). This road which has presented several problems in the past, specially landslides, is presenting another problem in kilometer 44 in the stretch between Atenas and Orotina and par...

So far this year 446 people have lost their life as a result of road crashes in Costa Rica, this number was of 445 for the same period of 2016 and the year closed with 456 victims. Out of these deaths, 197 (44.2%) were motorcyclists, according to data by the Operations Department of the Transit Police. Data provided by the National Institute of Statistics confirms that road accidents are ...

The bill for Electric Transportation was approved by the congressmen at the Asamblea Legislativa on Thursday afternoon. This new regulation benefits those who want to import or sell cars that operate 100% on electricity by establishing several tax exemptions, cars with a cost of under US$30,000.00 will benefit form 100% exemption, while vehicles with a higher cost will also have their tax rate...

As of 9 p.m. this Wednesday some of the streets in downtown San Jose will be closed partially in preparation for the traditional Festival de la Luz, (Festival of Light or Parade of Light). The partial closure will be on place from 9 p.m. on Wednesday, December 13 through 5 a.m. on Thursday, December 14 and again at 9 p.m. Thursday through 5 a.m. Friday. On Saturday, the area close to Paseo C...

The bill 19,744 of Electric Transportation was approved in first debate by Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly (Congress) after two years of being in discussion. The purpose of this bill is promoting the use of electric vehicles by making them more affordable, while also helping the environment and help the country reach its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2022, as these vehicles produce zero ...

This Satuday, November 11 at around 2:30 p.m. an incredible car accident took place in Route 27, more precisely in the area close to Construplaza in Guachipelin; another car (not involved in the accident) captured the exact moment when the accident took place (Date and Hour Showing in the Video Are Incorrect, the accident occurred November 11, 2017 at around 2:30 p.m.) . The video shows the mom...

The Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE) will be auctioning a total of 267 used vehicles, among these: cars, motorcycles, and four-wheelers. In order to participate, those interested can go to the ICE in Rincón Grande de Pavas, between November 8 and November 17 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to take a look at the vehicles, each of which will have a complete description. A deposit must be made f...

If you usually take the beltway (circunvalación) specifically the area that connects La Uruca with Los Anonos, take into consideration that it will have regulated traffic as of this Tuesday, November 5 . The National Roadways Council (Conavi) will be working on this 2.9 kilometers of road starting at 10 p.m. on Tuesday and will carry on 24 hours a day until concluded which means there will be r...

Four foreigners had the scare of their lives when they crashed into a bus and overturned this Wednesday evening near the Backyard in Hermosa Beach, Puntarenas. Firefighters had to use special equipment to free two of the expats who were trapped inside the car. Fortunately, only one of them, a woman, had to be transferred to the local clinic for further medical evaluation. The causes of the a...

Monday at the Jacó Walk shopping center, the first recharging center for electric vehicles was inaugurated in Costa Rica's Pacific region. Jacó Beach, a town about an hour and a half from San José the Central Pacific coast, is expected to receive increased development in the next few years. The town is now out and ahead of the pack on green energy with this joint program of the Costa Rican and ...

Good news for people with handicap license plates in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT), through its Directorate General of Traffic Engineering (DGIT), is now granting permits to people with disabilities so they can use their vehicle any day of the week in the downtown San José sector which has restricted access. The Costa Rican National Council of the ...

Costa Rica traffic police, firefighters and paramedics are currently in Santo Domingo de Heredia, where two trains crashed for reasons still unknown. At this point authorities report a total of close to 60 people injured, 4 of them in delicate condition and fortunately no fatalities. Hector Chávez director of the Costa Rica Firefighters explained that one train was heading south while the o...

A car accident registered at 4:18 a.m. this Sunday in the area of Las Juntas in Abangares, Guanacaste, claimed the lives of six people. According to preliminary information there were 7 passengers in a pick-up car with capacity for 5 people. The car crashed into a tree for reasons currently under investigation. Five of the victims died at the scene as a result of the crash, a sixth one died ...

A recent ranking of road infrastructure in Latin America lists Costa Rica as second to last, followed by Paraguay and Haiti who are tied for last place with similarly dismal rankings.   The information came to light in the most recent 2017-2018 competitiveness report issued by the World Economic Forum and focused on the quality of roads. The ranking is based partially on the percepti...

  A ruling earlier this year by an appeals court in San José, Costa Rica ruled that random searches of vehicles without good reason by police oversteps their powers and infringes on people's rights. The Costa Rican Public Security Ministry regularly sets up check-points near airports, ports, borders and on main highways to search at random vehicles passing by and in this way dissuade an...

Feature Image Photo Credit: Accidentes de Costa Rica / Facebook The afternoon of this Saturday, October 14 a multiple collision between three vehicles and a truck on Route 27 (San José-Caldera) caused a car to catch fire while the driver, a 54-year-old woman was not able to escape the burning vehicle. The accident took place close to 1 p.m. and occurred between Atenas and Orotina, in the roa...

Uber Costa Rica announced that Wednesday, October 11, from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. drivers will deliver free-of-charge donations of items that will be distributed to those affected by Nate in various parts of Costa Rica. Here's how it works: Gather up your items to be donated. Check they are all in good condition, and that food items are non-perishable and within their expiration date. Then packag...

A stretch of highway north of the turnoff for Puntarenas along Costa Rica's Northern Inter-American Highway will be completely closed to traffic from 9 a.m. and until 12 noon Monday, October 9, said transportation officials. The closure at the Seco River is necessary to make repairs to the bridge over this river along this highway linking Central America which suffered damages from Tropical Sto...

Photo Credit: Interamericana Sur /Jessica Webb Castillo As The Costa Rica Star has reported, many communities in Costa Rica have been affected by Tropical Storm Nate, with the provinces of Guanacaste and Puntarenas reporting the largest number of incidents. In Miramar, Puntarenas, according to a report by daily paper La Nación, the Aranjuez River devastated the town of Bajo Caliente, where t...

At around 8:30 a.m. this morning, two trains crashed along the single track that runs from Belén, Heredia via Pavas and into the Pacific train station near the Bíblica Hospital in downtown San José, said reports in local media. Preliminary reports by eyewitnesses indicate that two trains were traveling in the same direction when a vehicle impulsively crossed the train track as the first train w...

Traffic police and municipal governments in 16 of Costa Rica's counties are joining forces to bolster monitoring at specific areas with high car accident rates, such as Jaco beach said the Ministry of Public Works and Transport this week. The effort comes as the calendar approaches the end of the year, a time when car accidents historically spike in Costa Rica. "We want to focus on areas that ...

The Costa Rican Railways Institute (Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarrile, INCOFER) and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) have made available to the public a mobile phone application called  "Incofer Móvil" with alerts on changes in train service and delays. The app also includes train schedules on the urban routes that connect Belén, Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago with San Jos...

The Costa Rica Train Institute (Incofer) will be purchasing eight new train units with capacity for 400 passengers each by December of this 2017; unfortunately, new trains will not be arriving in the country until 24 months later. This purchase involves an investment of US$52 million that is being provided through a loan from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE). Accordin...

Electrification of the transportation sector is a crucial component of tackling global climate change. This is the topic of the Third Annual Latin America Clean Transport Forum in San José, Costa Rica organized by the Washington, DC think-tank The Inter American Dialogue. The event will be held Wednesday, Sept. 20 with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m., and the keynote address starting at 9 a...

Heavy downpours this past Saturday, September 16 created flooding and mudslides on several parts of Costa Rica's Highway 27, a toll road linking the capital city of San Jose with popular points in the Central Pacific region including Los Suenos, Jacó, Manuel Antonio, Dominical, and areas on the southern Nicoya Peninsula such as Tambor beach. A cascade of water dumping water and mud onto the hig...

"Life is too short to be sitting in traffic jams," is the slogan of Costa Rica's Car-Free Day event which is part of World Car Free Day celebrated every September 22 in a growing number of cities and countries throughout the world. Costa Rican event organizers encourage those who will participate by leaving their car in the garage for the day on Friday to use the hashtag #RetoSinCarro, which me...

The 64-kilometer stretch linking San José with the Atlantic-region town of Guápiles is considered the most dangerous in Costa Rica, according to experts who participated in the 2017 Geotechnics Seminar held in San José. This year's event focused on mountain routes, and was sponsored by the Costa Rican Geotechnical Association (ACG) a non-governmental organization belonging to the Costa Rica Civ...

Zipcar Costa Rica is the first car sharing service available in Costa Rica and Latin America, part of the Zipcar network, it offers an alternative to renting a car and public transportation. Car sharing services allow you to rent a car by the hour or day; this can be done online or through their App and pay only for the time used. Special or luxury cars are also available and can be reserved ev...

If you were planning a trip to La Fortuna, San Carlos, take into consideration that as of this Saturday afternoon the two main roads to this location remain closed. The access through the community of Los Angeles-El Tanque has been closed for the past 10 days because of reinforcement works in the area of the Fortuna river where the bride is being replaced; and yesterday afternoon due to the bad...

On Wednesday, August 23 a press release proudly announced the opening of the new 27 kilometer road that connects Bajos de Chilamate in Sarapiquí, Heredia to Vuelta Kooper in San Carlos, a road that Costa Rica had been waiting on for at least 10 years. President Luis Guillermo Solís and the Minister of Transportation German Valverde along with other Government authorities and community members a...

Private business sector leaders criticized the Costa Rican government for interfering with individuals' and businesses' right to chose the transportation service they wish to use as police continue to crack down on Uber drivers. Alonso Elizondo, executive director of the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce, is critical of a recent warning by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) to ...

Starting September 1, stricter regulations on the amount of sulfur allowed in gasoline will go into effect, according to the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) along with the Costa Rican Oil Refinery (Recope). This and other measures announced last week at a press conference are aimed at improving air quality through the use of cleaner fuels. The changes will bring about a slight increa...

Jean Todt, acting in his capacity as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, met with stakeholders in Costa Rica to promote United Nations road safety legal instruments and share established road safety best practices, said the Costa Rican Ministry of Health. Todt is president of the Geneva, Switzerland-based Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA, an association found...

A mega rail and road cargo transportation project that would completely bisect Costa Rica east-west through its northern region seems to have the makings of a future conservationist versus businessman standoff. The details of the project's location have been kept nebulous, while those in the shipping, trade and transport sectors tout the economic benefits of a future rapid interoceanic system t...

A recent analysis by the London-based IHS Markit concluded that homicide rates in Costa Rica are likely to continue rising while ongoing fiscal crisis limits government resources for increasing the security forces’ capacity. The report also said a concurring trend of rising violent robberies in Talamanca canton, Limón province, raises the likelihood of declining popularity for Caribbean beach a...