Panama has secured a ¥159.5 billion (approximately $1.1 billion USD) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to support the completion of Metro Line 3, a 25-kilometer monorail system designed to improve urban connectivity and reduce congestion in Panama City.
The loan agreement was signed by Panama’s Minister of Economy and Finance Felipe Chapman and JICA’s Chief Representative in Panama Shohei Tada. Also present at the signing were Japanese Ambassador Kazuyoshi Matsunaga and César Pinzón, Director General of Panama Metro.
This marks JICA’s third loan for the Metro Line 3 project. The new funding package features a 20-year repayment period and a six-year grace period. It will specifically support the construction of the most technically complex section of the project—a 5-kilometer tunnel beneath the Panama Canal—and a 20-kilometer elevated stretch extending from Panama Pacífico to Ciudad del Futuro.
Metro Line 3 will connect Albrook with Ciudad del Futuro, significantly improving access for commuters traveling between Panama’s western suburbs and the capital’s central transit hubs. Once operational, the line is expected to ease traffic congestion on the Bridge of the Americas and strengthen urban mobility across the region.
JICA stated that commercial service on Line 3 is slated to begin by December 2028. The project is part of a broader strategic partnership between Japan and Panama to enhance sustainable infrastructure and public transportation in Latin America.
