The  third line of Panama  Metro will serve over half a million  people and the  near $3 billion investment will make  an “enormous contribution”  to the economic recovery of the country with the creation of 5,000 jobs, direct and indirect  said

The work will connect the provinces of Panama and Panama Oeste, will be done by the HPH Joint Venture consortium, made up of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd, and Posco Engineering Construction.

Ortega said that the provision of facilities for exchanges with other modes of transport is contemplated: buses, taxis, bicycles, and private vehicles, as well as generous spaces for pedestrian circulation.

He added that, in order to reduce the use of private cars for daily trips, parking areas will be included in at least 3 stations: Ciudad del Futuro, Nuevo Chorrillo, and Vista Alegre.

In the Panama Pacifico-Albrook section, the two projected stations are Balboa and Albrook; the latter will be integrated into the current Albrook line 1 station, "which will allow a fast and safe interchange of lines 3 and 1".

"From the work that begins today, we hope to begin to see fruit in a little more than four years," he said.

Last week, the Comptroller General endorsed the contract for $2.844 billion.

Unlike the first two lines of the Metro, the project to Panama Oeste will use the monorail system, with a 45-minute journey through 13 elevated stations and one underground in the Balboa sector.