QCOSTARICA – The electric train proposed needs funding, and a bill that will fortify the railway, the Instituto Costarricese de Ferrocarril (INCOFER), means to raise money for the train via an increase in the “marchamo” (vehicle circulation permit) paid early in December.
The increase ranges from 3% to 17%, depending on the fiscal value (value determined by the Ministry of Finance for tax purposes) of the vehicle.
The bill is currently on hold, while the ruling party, Partido Accion Cuidadana (PAC ) legislators attempt to explain what the proposal intends to accomplish and why the funding is feasible, however it still remains a priority for the extraordinary session according to PAC fraction chief Marco Vinicio Redondo.
The electric train is to begin operation in 2 to 3 years, and would be serving the urban areas of four provinces by the end of 10 years when the project is fully implemented.
The service would extend from Paraiso de Cartago to Alajuela, with feeder routes to Heredia with San Jose the main hub. All the rails would be new and would allow trains to run both ways at the same time.
According to Finance, as an example, the increase would be ¢8,000 colones per year on a vehicle worth ¢5 million colones, while the increase would be ¢68,000 colones on a vehicle worth ¢15 million.
Article by iNews.co.cr, with editing by the Q,.
I truly fail to see any benefit of an electric train when the infrastructure is so bad now that the roads are terrible. How is an electric train going to benefit the majority of this country?
Quite agree with you. The focus, in my opinion, should be to improve (and complete in many cases) the current infrastructure, institute a good maintenance program, before embarking a new system that will most likely fail if the aforementioned isn’t taken care of first. But, in the Costa Rican way of things, not thinking too far ahead, the electric train is the solution, which then becomes a problem, that is solved with another solution, that it too becomes a problem, only to seek out yet another solution, that becomes … well, you get the picture.
No surprise, I disagree with both of you.
The problem is the same with improving infrastructure as it is with a train. Both initiatives just further metropolitan sprawl, which leads to still more needed infrastructure improvements or more train lines with no end in sight. By proceeding in either of these ways, the transportation problems will never solved, more money will have to be poured into them, and neighborhoods will continue to deteriorate while crime all over the metro area will increase.
Of course, of the two initiatives, a train is far superior to infrastructure improvements. At least rail lines remain limited to specific locations that can be planned around, while roads for private passenger automobiles tend to be built all over the place. Trains can also move far more people per square foot (or square meter if you prefer) than can private passenger motor vehicles. Cars are huge space hogs, not only on the roads but also for parking.
The far superior initiative is to realize that San José is no longer a sleepy little Third World village but a potential world class city, and should be developed as much. Specifically, this entails planners discontinuing their habit of driving by largely abandoned neighborhoods with windows rolled up and doors locked but instead rebuilding those neighborhoods as appealing, high-density places people want to live. It’s positively crazy to have as much underused space as San José has only to respond to it by bulding transportation arteries for still more underused space.
If the debate is between car-favoring infrastructure and a train, I vote for the train, but I really think this entire debate is incorrectly framed. The real issue whether space is used wisely or unwisely.