RICO’S Q — The commuter train in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) has always been low on the list for governments and politicians. You might even say it hasn’t even been a real priority for INCOFER, Costa Rica’s railway agency responsible for running the trains.
I mention this because the trains only run Monday through Friday, and only during morning and afternoon rush hours. There’s no service on weekends or holidays, and nothing during the gaps between those peak hours.
In my opinion, running commuter trains throughout the day, including weekends and holidays, could be a solid way to ease the growing traffic congestion in the GAM.
That is why the proposal by presidential candidate, Natalia Diaz, for the Unidos Podemos party caught my attention.
In addition, if she becomes president in May 2026, the presidential candidate would continue the electric train project initiated by the current government, as, according to her, selfishness is unacceptable, especially when Costa Ricans suffer daily from traffic congestion.
“What can I do in parallel while the electric train is being developed? Figure out what I can do to improve the current train. I’ll give you an example. The train doesn’t run on holidays or weekends. It’s not operating because there’s perhaps a lack of funding. Currently, it runs a few times a day, not 24 hours a day, and although it couldn’t because maintenance is required, it could run with more schedules and on weekends and mitigate the problem while we solve the major problem that could take more than four years to resolve. People can’t wait for a major project,” said Díaz.
Lack of clarity
With just over eight months left until the end of the current administration, it’s unclear what the future of the electric train will be.
At the moment, the government hasn’t specifically announced its plans, only saying that the plan would cost around US$800 million. It has also warned that an additional loan would be needed to complete the project and that only two lines would be built.
In that sense, Díaz is committed to continuing with the plan.
“I’m going to take up whatever project the government leaves me ready. Not because it’s this government, but because I would have taken whatever government left behind. Sometimes, out of selfishness, a new government comes in and says, ‘Since it wasn’t my project or we didn’t do the studies, then I’m going to undo it and start over.’ We’ll have to wait and see how this project turns out in April of next year, but I’m going to continue it,” Díaz added.
Serious Problem
Drivers in Costa Rica lose between 3 and 8 minutes traveling every 100 meters in traffic congestion, according to the 2024 Competitiveness Index.
Congestion not only means lost time and fewer jobs, but also affects physical and mental health, raising stress levels.
The canton of Orotina is the area where drivers waste the most time in traffic congestion, averaging 7 minutes and 33 seconds per 100 meters traveled, while Cañas, Guanacaste, is the area where the least amount of time is reported, at only 2 minutes and 4 seconds.
Santa Ana, Heredia, Alajuela, Santo Domingo, Escazú, San José, Curridabat, Montes de Oca, and Tibás report time losses ranging from 6 to 3 minutes per 100 meters.
Meanwhile, in San José, Tibás, and Flores (Heredia), 90% of their roads are considered “congested” by Waze users on at least one occasion during 2023.
Natalia Diaz ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2022 elections. She was the Ministra de la Presidencia (Chief of Staff) for the first two years (May 8, 2022, to June 22, 2024) of the Rodrigo Chaves administration, and a legislator in the 2014-2018 period.
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