Railroad Renovation

The renovation works of the Panama Railroad, carried out by Panama Canal Railway Company, began with a ceremony in February 2000 and officially concluded in November 2001.

Several companies participated in this major project, including: Neosho Central America as the main contractor, Wilson & Company as the engineering and surveying contractor, and Constructora Urbana S.A., which was in charge of all civil works.

For the renovations, 280,000 tons of granite ballast were used, brought from Nova Scotia, Canada; 150,000 concrete sleepers manufactured in Colombia; and 11,000 tons of continuous welded rails manufactured in Canada.

It is important to mention that during this overhaul, the track gauge was changed from 5 feet to the American standard of 4 feet, 8.5 inches.

Passenger service began operations in July 2001, and freight service in December of the same year.