OREANDA-NEWS. Alstom, leader of a consortium including Thales, Sofratesa, CIM and TSO[1] , has been awarded a contract by Metro de Panama SA to supply 70 additional metro cars for Line 1 of Panama Metro. Alstom will also update the existing signalling solution and the power supply and increase the size of the depot. Alstom’s share in the contract is worth €130 million. Delivery of the new cars will begin in early 2017.

Line 1 of Panama metro, inaugurated in April 2014, was supplied by Alstom as an integrated metro system[2] . The line, which crosses the city from north to south, is about 16 km long and includes 14 stations. Since its inauguration, ridership has reached 200,000 passengers per day. With the new cars, Metro de Panama will extend the metro trainsets from three cars to five while adding six trainsets, bringing the number of metros circulating on the line to 26.

“Line 1 of Panama Metro is a great success and Alstom is pleased to be part of it and we thank Panama Metro for placing their trust in us. The new Metropolis cars will increase the fleet’s capacity, smooth traffic flow and enhance passengers’ travelling experience,” said Michel Boccaccio, Senior Vice President of Alstom in Latin America.

The Metropolis for Panama includes wide doors, large gangways and a low floor for optimum passenger flows. The metro trainset features large seats and dynamic information displays to enhance passenger experience. Alstom will equip the six new trainsets with Urbalis 400 - Alstom’s communications-based train control (CBTC) solution – as well as updating the solution on the ground as the trainsets are longer. Furthermore, the depot will be extended to accommodate the bigger fleet.

The new Metropolis cars will be designed and manufactured at Alstom’s Santa Perpetua plant (near Barcelona) in Spain where the 20 original trains were built.

With about 5,000 Metropolis sold to over 20 cities, Alstom is one of the largest metro suppliers in the world. Designed to address the specific needs of each city, Metropolis offers a large range of options and configurations, a high level of passenger comfort and innovative features to optimize energy consumption and life cycle costs.

[1] Thales and Sofratesa are in charge of ATS, telecom and auxiliary systems; TSO/CIM are in charge of the track, catenary and depot equipment. The contract value for the consortium is €145 million

[2] Alstom was awarded the contract in 2010 to supply 20 Metropolis as well as Urbalis CBTC and electrification