The Passenger Electric Train (TRP) that would link 15 municipalities and connect the cantons of Paraíso de Cartago and Ciruelas de Alajuela would bring advantages in terms of the environment and the improvement of the physical environment through which it will pass.
This Tuesday, the Costa Rican Railway Institute (Incofer) announced the results of the feasibility stage of the project in environmental matters, which were in charge of the company IDOM.
This study stage determined that the TRP will improve the physical, biological and social environment of the areas through which it will pass.
The study indicates that “no risk was found” in the fragmentation of the habitat, the possible impact on protected areas and environmentally fragile zones and the affectation of threatened species. In this sense, the project includes the integration of wildlife passages and the maintenance of green areas.
Experts also say that the project improves air quality due to modern engineering and design elements.
In social issues, the study showed that the project will positively improve the social environment and that it will have an important impact on the generation of employment opportunities both in the construction process and in its operation.
The document on the technical feasibility of the TRP is scheduled for the beginning of September.
The TRP would cover 73.5 kilometers of railway line and offer a service capable of transporting 250 thousand people.
The work, which is valued at $ 1.23 billion, will have frequencies in journeys of three to five minutes. Last June the government said that by the end of the year it would send to Congress the bill necessary to finance the project.