Tren Panamá - David una obra que ayudaría a reactivar economía | #EnContexto

Panama, June 6, 2024. The Panama-David Train is emerging as one of the construction projects that would help reactivate the country's economy, creating jobs and boosting tourism, as described by maritime and logistics expert Carlos Ernesto González De La Lastra. The project's feasibility is indeed present, both in terms of engineering and financial calculations. It's a large investment that only the state can make, and it doesn't become profitable until a few years have passed, the expert emphasized. "It's a cycle that all trains have, where there's a growing investment curve, and when it reaches a point where both the number of people traveling and the amount of cargo traveling are profitable, the cost begins to drop. Generally, this type of investment requires seeking foreign capital," he explained. And Panama's history shows this. For example, when the third set of locks for the Panama Canal was built, a meeting was held with multilateral organizations that were available to provide the necessary loan and immediately begin construction of the project, which was in high demand. However, for De la Lastra, in the case of the Panama-David train, the project is not based on demand but rather focuses on increasing productivity, as it would provide greater access to urban mobility and could develop a significant tourism chain, allowing for entry into a globalized world. "The country exports very little, but also because it doesn't have much exportable product; it's lacking mobilization in that regard. The logistics cost is very high; transporting a container from the highlands of Chiriquí to the Port of Cristóbal costs around $1,500, and from the Port of Cristóbal to the Port of Rotterdam it costs $800. So obviously, and this is due to the fact that there is very little production, the advantage of the railroad is that it can bring all producers together to ship cargo en masse. This is what is called competition. We cooperate in transportation and compete in the market," he emphasized. He also indicated that if we want to grow economically, we must implement infrastructure projects that improve the country's productive capacity. "The train has an immediate impact on production due to market access. We have a two-legged country. One leg is the interoceanic region, which produces almost 90% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and almost all investments are made there, with nearly 1.5 million inhabitants. Then we have the other leg, where there's nothing, and belts of poverty and extreme poverty accumulate. The common denominator is the lack of connectivity. Neither land connectivity nor maritime connectivity," he concluded. Subscribe to our channel:    / @ecotvpanama   Visit our website: https://ecotvpanama.com/ More ECO videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/ECOtvPan... Follow us on Follow us on X:   / ecotvpanama   Like us on Facebook:   / ecotvpanama   Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecotvpanama...