Spain's Secretary of State for Trade, Amparo López, highlighted this Tuesday the interest of Spanish companies in participating in Panama's government's intense infrastructure investment program worth over $30 billion, such as the project for a train connecting the capital with the border of Costa Rica, among other works. López, who will attend the second International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean 2026 on Wednesday, addressed the issue at the colloquium 'Innovative Infrastructures of Spain for Panama'. 'Today we have focused on the bilateral agenda with various meetings with Panamanian authorities with the aim of reinforcing the excellent bilateral relationship that Spain and Panama maintain, and of course also to get to know all those projects that are of interest to the Panamanian authorities and in which Spanish companies can play an important role contributing to the development of Panamanian infrastructure with their expertise,' said López. The Secretary of State stressed that there are 200 Spanish companies established in Panama, companies that are 'very powerful' in the field of infrastructure and that the current Panamanian government is developing an intense infrastructure plan, including works linked to the Panama Canal and its modernization. The high-ranking Spanish official indicated that the train to the border with Costa Rica is 'one of the projects' discussed in the bilateral meetings. 'We have companies in the railway infrastructure sector that are very powerful, also in the rolling stock sector, absolute world leaders, and we will support them so that they can participate in that project,' she emphasized.
In this sense, the press secretary of the Panama Railway project, Marlene Garrido, told EFE that the Central American country would 'greatly benefit' from collaboration with Spanish companies due to their railway experience. 'One of the case studies we admire very much is the one being carried out by ADIF at Chamartín station in Madrid,' she stated. The event was organized by ICEX together with the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in Panama and brought together companies from the construction, mobility, engineering and water sectors, as well as Panamanian entities such as the Ministry of Public Works and the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). During the activity, the investments of the Strategic Plan of the Government of Panama, amounting to $30.277 billion, were reviewed, in addition to the more than $8 billion from the ACP. A new reservoir, with an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, a gas pipeline, new port terminals, and a land logistics corridor could allow the Canal to increase its revenues by up to 20% or 25%, according to its executives. John Lanman, ACP's Vice President of Hydraulic Projects, told EFE that from the Canal's perspective, Spanish companies have 'very high capabilities' in project and infrastructure management. The forum highlighted that the expansion of the railway network and the modernization of ports and airports represent a 'unique' opportunity for Spanish companies, which have experience and capacity in these sectors.
