Alstom has signed a US$90 million Panama Metro maintenance contract to overhaul the 235 Metropolis cars on Lines 1 and 2, with work at intervals of up to 12 years.

Alstom Metropolis train 1106 on the elevated Panama Metro tracks
An Alstom Metropolis train on the elevated Panama Metro network. Photo: ALSTOM SA.

The customer is the operator, Metro de Panamá S.A. (MPSA). Alstom announced the signing on 24 September 2026 and puts the value at about €80 million. It describes the scope as major maintenance and long-term overhaul of the fleet.

What the overhaul programme covers

Work is scheduled at intervals of five, six, eight, ten and twelve years. It covers bogies, traction equipment, brakes, wheels, pneumatic systems, auxiliary equipment and other parts on which safe operation depends. Alstom says the aim is to keep the fleet reliable and available and to lengthen the working life of the trains.

The contract applies to the Metropolis fleet that Alstom built for the two lines: 47 trains, of which 26 serve Line 1 and 21 serve Line 2. Alstom’s figures put Line 1’s fleet at 26 five-car trains, which accounts for 130 of the 235 cars; the remaining 105 are on Line 2. Line 1 has carried passengers since April 2014.

Alstom has not said how long the agreement runs, when the first overhauls begin or how the work will fit around passenger service.

How it differs from the line maintenance contracts

Alstom’s other documented maintenance contracts on the network were arranged line by line and covered more than the trains. In December 2024 the company signed a four-year contract with MPSA for preventive and corrective maintenance of Line 1’s rolling stock, signalling and power supply.

For Line 2, Panama’s Cabinet approved on 31 March 2026 a six-month contract, plus two months for close-out, covering preventive, corrective, predictive and cosmetic maintenance of the Metropolis trains, the CBTC signalling and the traction and auxiliary substations. It was worth up to B/.4,329,872.89 and awarded through an exceptional procedure. The new contract deals only with the trains, but on both lines.

Alstom maintenance contracts with Metro de Panamá, 2022–2026
Announced or approved Lines What is covered Term Value
November 2022 Line 2 Preventive and corrective upkeep of 21 Metropolis trains, CBTC signalling and power supply Three years Not disclosed
December 2024 Line 1 Preventive and corrective upkeep of 26 Metropolis trains, signalling and power supply Four years Not disclosed
31 March 2026 Line 2 Preventive, corrective, predictive and cosmetic upkeep of Metropolis trains, CBTC signalling and traction and auxiliary substations Six months, plus two for close-out Up to B/.4,329,872.89
September 2026 Lines 1 and 2 Major maintenance and long-term overhaul of 235 Metropolis cars Not disclosed US$90 million (about €80 million)

The September 2026 contract is the only one in this list that spans both lines, and it is limited to the trains. Dates are Alstom announcement dates, except for March 2026, which is the date of Cabinet approval. The list covers contracts documented by Alstom and Panama’s Cabinet only.

Sources: Alstom, November 2022, Alstom, December 2024, Gaceta Oficial No. 30504-C, Alstom, September 2026.

Ridership and Alstom’s presence in Panama

According to Alstom, the Panama Metro carries about 400,000 passengers a day. The company has worked in Panama since 2010, built the integrated rail systems of both lines, has maintained Line 1 since 2014 and Line 2 since April 2019, and employs about 150 people in the country.

Nicolas Forissier, France’s Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, attended the signing.