The Council of Ministers approved a decree authorizing the Panama Metro to hire, through an exceptional procedure, the company Alstom Panamá, S.A. to perform specialized maintenance on Line 2 of the railway system. This measure was adopted through Decree #7-26 and includes the provision of preventive, corrective, predictive, and aesthetic maintenance services for the train fleet, as well as railway signaling systems and traction and auxiliary substations. According to the Presidency of the Republic, the contract will have a six-month execution period, plus two additional months for contract settlement, and an amount of up to $4,329,872.89. The Executive stated that these works require highly specialized personnel with full technical knowledge, due to the complexity of the systems that guarantee the correct operation, safety, and punctuality of trains during commercial service. The maintenance program takes on greater relevance amid the recent increase in system demand, which has grown from 360,000 to 380,000 daily users in recent weeks, the official communiqué indicates.
