Nearly a decade after the idea of a passenger railway connecting Panama City to the western city of David was first proposed, the project remains without a single rail laid — despite two years of fresh studies and renewed momentum under the current administration.
What Happened
The railway project first took shape during the government of Juan Carlos Varela, when planners began exploring a rail link that would run westward from the capital through the country’s interior toward David, the capital of Chiriquí province. The idea languished after that administration ended, but in 2019 it was picked up again, and it has now been retaken by the administration of President José Raúl Mulino.
According to TVN 2, the Mulino government has widened the project’s scope, updated the proposed route, and commissioned new feasibility studies. Those studies have now been underway for roughly two years, yet no construction has begun and the line remains at the planning stage.
Background
A rail connection between Panama City and David would be the most ambitious overland transport project in the country in generations. Panama’s one existing passenger rail service, the Panama Canal Railway, runs only the short stretch between Panama City and Colón on the Atlantic coast. Travelers heading west to provinces such as Coclé, Veraguas, Herrera, Los Santos and Chiriquí currently depend on the Inter-American Highway, a heavily used road corridor that suffers congestion, accidents and closures during the rainy season.
Successive administrations have promoted the railway as a way to cut travel times, stimulate development in the interior, and offer an alternative to the country’s crowded intercity bus network. However, the project’s long gestation — nearly ten years from initial concept to the current round of studies — illustrates the difficulty of moving major infrastructure from concept to construction.
What This Means for Panama
The Mulino administration’s decision to expand the project’s reach and update the route suggests the government still sees the railway as a priority. The hiring of new studies indicates officials are working to refine the engineering and cost picture before committing to construction.
For now, however, commuters, businesses and residents of the western provinces should expect the status quo: continued reliance on road transport. The key milestones to watch are the completion of the new feasibility studies, the publication of cost estimates and financing plans, and any announcement of a construction timeline. Until those steps materialize, the Panama-David railway will remain a promise on paper rather than a train on tracks.
This story was originally reported by TVN 2.