Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi Rail STS and Mitsubishi Corporation have signed an US$883 million construction contract for a new metro line in Panama City. The agreement was signed on October 30 with HPH Consortium, the prime contractor for Panama Metro Line 3.

Line 3 is a 25-kilometre, elevated double-track monorail system, which will include 14 new stations and trains that use regenerative power.

Hitachi and Hitachi Rail will provide 28 six-car vehicles (168 cars), the signaling systems, telecommunication systems, power systems, control centre, platform screen doors and depot equipment for the monorail. Mitsubishi Corporation will manage the project.

When it opens in mid-2025, Line 3 will move passengers through the urban core and fast-growing west side of Panama City with ease before crossing the Panama Canal to tackle the route’s many hills and steep gradients.

Hitachi’s B-CHOP (Energy Storage for Traction Power Supply) system will be used to harness the train’s regenerative power, substantially reducing energy consumption throughout the railway system. When the train is in braking mode it can produce regenerative power, reducing CO2 emissions while providing power for future use that does not need to be drawn from a central power grid.