Costa Rica reactivates project to bring the train back to the Pacific after more than three decades

Laura Fernández's government signed a technical cooperation agreement with CABEI to study the rehabilitation of the rail line to Puntarenas. (Courtesy: University of Costa Rica) Costa Rica's government took a new step this Wednesday toward analyzing the return of the train to Puntarenas with the signing of a technical cooperation agreement with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) intended to finance the first studies to rehabilitate the railway corridor connecting Alajuela, Caldera, and Puntarenas. The announcement was made during the Government Council held in the Pacific province, where President Laura Fernández presented the initiative as one of her administration's long-term infrastructure projects. The cooperation amounts to USD 1.6 million and will be used to develop pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, so the agreement still does not imply the start of construction nor does it set a date for the eventual return of trains to the province. During the event, CABEI officials explained that the funds will allow the development of the first technical stage needed to establish the conditions under which the railway infrastructure could be rehabilitated. "We are making a donation of one million six hundred thousand dollars for the first studies so that, as the president says, the train can return to Puntarenas," said Erwin Masís, the country's representative before the regional organization, during the event. The cooperation agreement was signed by Fernández, the executive president of the Costa Rican Railways Institute (INCOFER), Álvaro Bermúdez, and CABEI's country chief, Álvaro Alfaro. The president also invited legislators and municipal authorities from Puntarenas to participate as witnesses to the signing and noted that the initiative should be understood as a province-wide, long-term project. "It is underway; the studies must be carried out so that, hopefully, in the medium term, the train will once again reach Puntarenas," Fernández said. CABEI will contribute USD 1.6 million to conduct pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for the railway corridor. (CABEI). EFE/ Gustavo Amador According to what was announced during the Government Council, the studies will focus on the possibility of rehabilitating the railway line between Puntarenas, Caldera, and Alajuela. The initiative seeks to establish the technical and economic viability of recovering a corridor that for decades played an important role in the rail connection between the Pacific and the Central Valley. Fernández recalled during her speech the closure of rail services that occurred in 1995 and linked the new study to the possibility of recovering infrastructure that was historically tied to Puntarenas's economic and tourism activity. The president highlighted that 31 years have passed since that suspension and asserted that the goal of the newly signed cooperation is to determine the conditions necessary to reconnect the province by rail. However, the announcement is still in a study phase, so aspects such as the total cost of an eventual rehabilitation, service characteristics, frequency, projected demand, financing modality, and construction schedule will have to be defined later. The government also did not announce a specific date for starting works during the event. The analysis contemplates the rail connection between Alajuela, Caldera, and Puntarenas, as announced during the Government Council. Credit: Viator The initiative for the Pacific coincides with other railway projects the country has in different stages. CABEI has participated in recent years in the financing and preparation of the Electric Passenger Train for the Greater Metropolitan Area, a project distinct from the one announced this Wednesday for Puntarenas. In September 2025, the organization reported that a financing scheme of USD 800 million had been structured for lines 1 and 2 of the GAM electric train system with the participation of CABEI itself, the European Union, and the Green Climate Fund. That project contemplates rail transport within the Greater Metropolitan Area and should not be confused with the new studies aimed at evaluating the rehabilitation of the corridor toward the Pacific. CABEI has maintained cooperation with Costa Rica in recent years on initiatives related to road infrastructure, mobility, and rail transport.