Alstom team wins Panama Metro

expat network

Alstom team wins Panama Metro

An Alstom-led consortium has won the contract to supply integrated systems to equip Line 2 of Panama’s metro.

Alstom will supply an system that includes 21 Metropolis trainsets as well as traction substations and a system to control the movement of the trains and enables them to run safely at high frequencies and speeds. For line 2, the headway between two trains will be 90 seconds. Alstom’s share of the contract amounts to about €300m (£220m).

The consortium, which also includes CIM, Sofratesa, Thales and TSO, was awarded the contract by Consórcio Línea 2, which is building the line and is made up of Constructora Norberto Odebrecht and FCC.

Line 2 will be 21km long and include 16 stations. The elevated line will run from San Miguelito to Nuevo Tocumen and will be able to carry up to 40,000 passengers per hour in each direction. It will interconnect with line 1, which was inaugurated in April 2014 and was also equipped by Alstom.

Link and Source: The Construction Index

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.