Costa Rica will receive a loan for 250 million dollars from the UN Green Climate Fund to finance part of the construction of a five-line electric train, a government flagship project, official sources reported this Thursday (07/01/2021).
“The Green Climate Fund supports the electric train (…) It will have enormous benefits for the environment and users, promoting decarbonization and the economy,” said the country’s president, Carlos Alvarado.
Costa Rica is one of the countries in the region that stands out the most for the preservation of the environment, with initiatives such as eliminating the use of fossil fuels by 2050 launched by Alvarado himself and the search for total cleanliness in its energy generation .
In 2020 it did so by 99.78% and, for the sixth consecutive year, it did so above 98%, according to data from the Energy Control Center (CENCE).
Government flagship project
The Green Climate Fund, an entity created by the UN in 2010, will also donate 21.7 million dollars for other works that accompany the project, such as bike paths connected to some of the stations.
The electric train was the main letter of Alvarado’s proposal to be elected as president of Costa Rica in 2018.
The work “seeks to provide a public transport system that connects a main axis from east to west of the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM),” said Elizabeth Briceño, president of the Costa Rican Institute of Railways (Incofer).
The total cost of the project, according to the government, is 1,550 million dollars, of which the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) will cover 550 million, with a 40-year loan, with a 10-year grace period.
The system would cover an approximate length of 84 kilometers, with 46 stations on five lines.
jc (afp, efe)
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