Residents of the Greater Metropolitan Area will soon notice a new addition to Costa Rica’s public-transportation sector.
The Costa Rican Railway Institute (INCOFER) is ready to introduce the eight self-propelled diesel train carriages that it received in recent months.
“After a three-month process of training for driving personnel and testing the 8 new train units acquired from the company CRRC Quingdao Sifang Co, the equipment is ready for the start of gradual operation with passengers,” INCOFER said in a statement.
Each of the trains has a length of 38 m and a capacity for 372 passengers, double the capacity of the current railroad cars. On-board amenities include air conditioning, preferential seating for people with mobility issues, and wheelchair spaces.
Costa Rica received 86,580 more doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Tuesday night for a total of 472,875, the Presidency reported.
As of Monday, Costa Rica had administered 204,586 doses in first responders and the elderly. The country’s contract with Pfizer is for 3 million doses of the two-shot vaccine.6
This week, the Social Security System (CCSS, or Caja) installed 14 ultra-low-temperature freezers in health centers across the country: in the Chorotega, Brunca, Huetar Norte, Central Pacific, Central Norte, Central Sur and Huetar Atlántico regions.
With a combined capacity for more than 1 million doses, the 14 freezers will facilitate vaccinations outside of the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM).
Hundreds of jobs will be filled through the Guanacaste Bilingual Job Fair, which will be held virtually throughout this month.
SYKES, a U.S.-based company specializing in business processes, is seeking 500 employees for roles at its Liberia, Guanacaste, headquarters.
In addition, the National Training Institute (INA) and SYKES will receive applications for some 1,400 spots in training and educational programs, according to a press release from the Presidency.
“The offer of work along with the professional training of the Guanacaste population will be vital for the economic reactivation of the Chorotega Region,” said First Lady Claudia Dobles. “It is especially important that the private sector look to Liberia and decide to invest in the capacities of a community outside the Greater Metropolitan Area.”
The Costa Rican government this week issued a decree creating a new type of park within the framework of the Environment Ministry. Urban Natural Parks have the objective of conserving ecosystems and benefiting the physical and mental health of people living in Costa Rica’s cities.
The National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) will manage the newly formed National Urban Natural Parks Program. Its first steps will be conducting technical studies and leading conversations with communities and private landowners to explore the creation of new protected areas.
“This new management category will allow conservation strategies to be focused on the specific needs of spaces threatened by unplanned urban growth. It is part of the efforts to correct the country’s historical debt to environmental protection in cities,” said President Carlos Alvarado at a ceremony at La Colina de Curridabat Ecological Park.
Residents of the Greater Metropolitan Area may have noticed a new addition to Costa Rica’s public-transportation sector this week.
The Costa Rican Railway Institute (INCOFER) is testing the eight self-propelled train carriages that it received in recent weeks. If all goes as planned, the diesel-powered trains will begin service in April.
“Monday’s tests were completed successfully,” said President Carlos Alvarado.
Check out a video of Tuesday’s tests below:
“With the arrival of these eight new trains, the process of railway modernization begins,” said Elizabeth Briceño, President of the Costa Rican Railway Institute (INCOFER). “The current passenger operation will improve in quality, as well as the user experience, increasing the capacity of our services.”