On December 6th, 2018, local time, Costa Rica railway authority (Incofer) held a press conference to announce that the procurement order for 8 sets of DMUs is awarded to CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd. to equip the regional commuter railway of San Jose metropolitan area. This is the first time for Chinese rail transit equipment into Costa Rica.
Earlier in this year, Incofer launched the global invitation for bidding to procure new DMUs for replacement of old vehicles on commuter railway of San Jose metropolitan area at Costa Rica to improve transport capacity. This project includes 8 sets of newly-built DMUs and supply of spare parts and maintenance equipment for 3 years. CRRC Sifang won the bid in the global competition.
New rolling stocks adopt 2-car composition with the largest capacity of 372 persons, twice than the original ones. The maximum operation speed is 70km/h, with features of low noise, low energy consumption, less pollution and long lifespan (30 years). The saloon is equipped with air conditioner, seats for PRM, as well as broadcasting and passenger information system. San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica and the city with the largest population. The commuter railway runs through east-west axis of San Jose metropolitan area, serving for commuting for this area. New DMUs to be put into operation will significantly improve the passenger capacity, which will also relieve the traffic pressure in San Jose metropolitan area and improve the travel quality for residents.
Costa Rica, locating at Central America, is a relatively developed country in terms of economy and tourism, being called “Central America Switzerland”. Meanwhile, Costa Rica is an active participant of Belt and Road Initiative. The economic and trade cooperation between China and Costa Rica has been continually expanded for recent years. Presently, China has become the second largest economy partner of Costa Rica. CRRC Sifang winning the first order for rail transit vehicles procurement for Costa Rica represents a new accomplishment of Chinese rail transit corporations involving into Belt and Road Initiative, which will further drive economic and trade cooperation between China and Costa Rica.
CRRC Sifang has already successively obtained several railway vehicle orders for Argentina, Brazil, and Chile in Latin America market. This winning of DMUs project of Costa Rica is another big breakthrough of CRRC Sifang in Latin America market.