The Costa Rican rail transport is a transportation used by the Costa Rican agro-economic industry for coffee development among others.

History

The Costa Rican railroad system emerged as a response to the needs of the agroexport economy of the late 19th century, which required efficient means of transportation and communication for incipient coffee development. The construction of the branch to the Atlantic was given from 1870 with the participation of the investor Minor Cooper Keith. In 1884, in exchange for financing the new line and terminating the railroad, the State ceded the rights of the same for 99 years to Costa Rica Railway Company, a company of Minor Cooper Keith. The English company. In 1900 arises Northern Railway Company, English company with businesses in the country like the development of railroad branches and banana production. In 1901, it became part of the United Fruit Company as well as the railways that it possessed. In 1905 he joins the Costa Rica Railway Company and consolidates the monopoly of railways and banana exploitation in a company: Northern Railway Company. As the railroad only reached the Atlantic zone, the state managed the construction of an extension to link San Jose to Puntarenas. Autonomous Institution

In 1953 the Autonomous Institute of the Electric Railroad to the Pacific was founded to administer the railroad; from that year acquired the status of autonomous institution, in 1972 changed to Costa Rican Institute of Ports of the Pacific. This entity assumed the administration of the Railroad to the Pacific, the one administered by the Northern passed to the State through the Board of Port Administration and Development of the Atlantic Slope. Railway Crisis

In the end, the merger of railroads was not given, both had their own staff, workshops, teams, unions, etc. It also affected the absence of a national railway project in line with the country's new needs, apart from the abandonment of the railway system by the various governments.

In 1985 the Costa Rican Railways Institute was created. In 1991, the railway crisis came to a climax when 697 workers ceased and there was a gradual suspension of freight and passenger services, culminating in the cessation of operations in 1995 by a State directive. The Costa Rican railway system, a pillar of the country's development since the end of the 19th century, now only operates for the transportation of passengers from Heredia to San José and from Pavas to Curridabat. The possibility of extending the service through state investment is remote, the country's investment priorities are not on the train. Present

Alajuela 2015 proposes a private initiative to reactivate the train service for passenger and cargo transportation. In this case private investment can help the state to put the system to operate again, nothing else requires clear rules and political will to awaken from lethargy to the railway system.

wiki