SECTOR | TRANSPORT - LATIN AMERICA
PANAMA METRO CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR OF TUNNELLING
More than 2km of tunnelling has been completed on Panama Metro’s Line 3, including the section beneath the Panama Canal. The 4.5km-long metro tunnel is the first in passing under the canal, and Panama Metro called the tunnelling achievement “an unprecedented milestone” for the country. The tunnel passes beneath the Panama Canal at 65m
below sea level. Panama Metro added that progress had reached almost 45% of the project. Since excavation began a year ago, in H2-2024, more than 1,000 rings have been erected by the 13.51m-diameter
TBM, named ‘Panama’, for the metro tunnel. More recently, in September, tunnel advance saw the TBM erect 149 rings, or 298m of the tunnel length in the month. Following the tunnelling milestone, shield boring
continues towards Balboa station, where the Mixshield TBM is to undergo maintenance, scheduled for early 2026. Following the scheduled maintenance, the Herrenknecht shield is then to restart and complete the final section of the metro tunnel.
The TBM is 93m-long and was designed to adapt to the unique geological conditions of the Canal area.
construction of the tunnels; and, complementary civil works, including all structures and systems for operation of the new metro line. “This is a key new project for Systra in Chile, where our
underground and systems experts are carrying out several major assignments on railway lines and five motorway tunnels,” said Systra Subterra’s CEO, José Miguel Galera. Systra has historic connections with the capital’s metro
system, having worked on plans in 1968 and since has been involved in design of most of the lines.
Metro Line 9 Ayesa Engineering was awarded a contract to provide project management support for Santiago Metro’s Line 9. The company is providing engineering management
advisory services, counterpart engineering, environmental and community relations consultancy, works co- ordination, service change management, expropriation and easement management, as well as project planning and control. The new 27km-long Line 9 will be entirely underground and include 19 stations, depots and maintenance facilities. It will run through the districts of
Recoleta, Santiago, San Miguel, San Joaquín, La Granja, San Ramón, La Pintana, and Puente Alto to provide faster, more direct routes into the heart of the city. Line 9 – backed by a US$2.733bn investment – will
include the first four-line hub in the capital’s metro network. The multi-line line hub at Cal y Canto station, located at the edge of the historic city centre, will connecting with Lines 2, 3, and 7, and also easing pressure on Line 4. “To integrate Line 9 with the existing network, some
stations will need to be constructed at depths exceeding 40m, which presents a significant engineering challenge,” said Mariluz Ramírez, Director of Transport LATAM at Ayesa. “We’ll need to design highly efficient vertical transport systems to manage heavy passenger volumes between Line 9, surface access, and connecting lines.” The contract award builds on Ayesa’s prior work with
the metro. In 2022, Ayesa was appointed to provide technical inspection services for the installation, testing, and commissioning of systems and equipment for the Line 3 extension. The company is currently supervising civil works on Sections 2, 3, and 4 of Line 7.
Right:
More than 1,000 rings have been installed in the first year of tunnelling on Panama Metro’s Line 3 Photo credit:
Herrenknecht/LinkedIn 32 | January 2026
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