QCOSTARICA – It didn’t take long. It was bound to happen. Sooner than later. Last night, Wednesday, a vehicle collided with one of the new commuter trains, in Cartago.
The collision occurred at 6:45 pm, about 300 meters from the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles (Incofer) train station. There was no serious damage or people injured.
According to the Incofer, the train was empty (no passengers) and was heading to the Cartago station for the night.
The crash occurred “due to the disrespect of a driver when the train passed,” according to the Incofer statement to the press. However, did not elaborate on damage the vehicle caused or the estimate of the cost of the repair.
Nor did it indicate whether any action will be brought against the driver.
This is the first collision that occurs a month to the day (the first train left the station on April 26) after the entry into operation of these new trains.
Costa Rica purchased eight of these units from China’s CRRC Qingdao Sifang company in December 2018, for an amount of US$32.7 million.
It is the largest investment the country has made to modernize its public rail transport.
Before this, Incofer’s largest acquisition was in 2009, when four Apolo units were purchased for US$2.9 million from the Spanish company Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha (Feve).
