Metro Line 2 provides much-needed rapid transit access to the half-million residents of Panama City’s east side. The 21-km line is entirely elevated, with 16 stations. It faced a hard deadline—to open for World Youth Day in 2019, a triennial global gathering of young Catholics that attracted 700,000 to the city. Half-a-million riders used the new line during the event. Each line station offers intermodal connections to buses, taxis and car parks. The line features reversible substations designed by Alstom that capture more than 99% of trains’ recoverable braking energy. A workforce of 4,000 executed this $2-billion project on time and on budget. Project team members spanned 24 nationalities and spoke 10 languages.

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