By Wendy Anders

You aren’t alone in feeling there’s been lots of talk and little action on urban trains; the law to modernize the sector that finally passed the Legislative Assembly on April 26 has been under discussion since 2011.

It appears that some concrete changes might actually start to take place soon, as the law has already passed scrutiny by the constitutional court.

The new legislation allows the Costa Rican Train Institute (Incofer) to negotiate international alliances, gives them greater land expropriation mechanisms, and gives them greater financial freedom to acquire up to $408 million dollars in investment funds and to make major investments in their infrastructure and equipment.

Passenger train service was limping along in the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, but after its service was dismantled from 1995-1998 due to alleged financial losses it wasn’t until 2006 that service resumed.

That first line to start up again was the Pavas-San Pedro route. Today Incofer operates over 100 daily trips on three lines that stretch to Heredia, Belén and Cartago from the Atlantic and Pacific stations downtown.

Last year Incofer estimates they transported 3.7 million passengers in what appears to be the most comprehensive solution to Costa Rica’s severely congested roadways.

One of the most compelling features for President Solis, who spoke to press today to celebrate the enactment of the new legislation, is the creation of an interurban electric train. This, according to Incofer Head Guillermo Santana, who also spoke at the event, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the congested Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM in Spanish), allowing Costa Rica to move closer to their goal of carbon neutrality, as well as lowering pressure on congested roads in the urban centers.

The new law, states Incofer in a written document with details on their new plans, will allow them to repair, rebuild and expand upon the country’s existing 540 km of rail track. The institute says they also plan to eventually reinstate freight trains.

Over the next few months, Incofer says they will initiate the first phase of the modernization plan, which is a $40 million dollar Rapid Passenger Transportation System that includes acquiring eight new trains, expanding and making current timetables more efficient, and installing an electronic payment system and a modern centralized control and dispatch center.