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Electric Train Proposed Between
Heredia and San José
San José could soon
have an electric passenger train
that can transport up to 52.000
passengers daily between Heredia
and San José, in a project being
studied by government an
municipal authorities.
The project would eliminate
the use of combustible fuel and
thus contamination, which is a
growing problem in the
Metropolitan areas as more cars
circulate daily, more than at
any other time.
The project has received seven
offers from a Tico/Swiss and
Spanish, Mexican, Brazilian and
German consortiums.
The project will cost
us$140.000.000 dollars, that
would see an electric train run
between the downtown Heredia
through San Pablo, Santo
Domingo, Guadalupe, Tibás and to
the unused Altlantic train
station in San José..
The Consejo Nacional de
Concesiones has the job of
listening to all the proposals
and then recommending a course
of action.
If the plan is approved,
construction could begin as soon
as 2006.
San José mayor, Johnny Araya, is
critical of the plan, saying
that the train should should run
between Pavas (in the west) and
Curridabat (in the east) and San
José, where, according to
figures, there are more people
who would use the train than the
Heredia route.
Gasoline Prices Up. Again!
While
Costa Ricans have been consumed
with the arrival of former
president Miguel Angel Rodríguez
and focusing on the acts of
other politicians and public
functionaries, they have been
distracted from the day to day
life of rising gasoline prices.
Yesterday, the Autoridad
Reguladora de los Servicios
Públicos (ARESEP) approved yet
another jump in gasoline prices
that will add another ¢11.6
colones to the price of a litre
of Super, ¢11 colones to regular
and ¢8.9 colones to diesel.
More
Cruise Ships
The cruise ship
season -that will go on through
July 2, 2005- started in Costa
Rica last September 12 on the
Pacific side, and on the
Caribbean one it did so on
October 14 with the arrival of
the Coral Princess to the Port
of Limon.
According to official
sources, a total 261 cruise
ships will call on Costa Rica in
the 2004-2005 season, eight more
than in the last one.
However, while the Pacific Port
of Puntarenas will see the
number of ships rise from 88 to
107, in Limon the figure will
decrease from 175 to 154.
Illegal
Aliens
On a truck normally used to
carry cattle, the Costa Rican
police found 40 Nicaraguans,
including 7 children and 2
pregnant young women, who were
trying to enter Costa Rica
illegally.
This group is but one of many
that come here lured by jobs in
the collection of several crops,
but who do not carry the proper
documents and are therefore
returned to their country.
According to official sources,
these aliens are regularly the
victims of "coyotes", who for a
fee smuggle people into Costa
Rica and other countries.
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