| Costa Rica's rail system was originally built in the late
1800s to serve the coffee and banana industry. One line ran
from San José to Puntarenas on the Pacific coast and
another from San José to Puerto Limón on the
Caribbean. In 1995 regular passenger train service on Costa
Rica's two main rail lines was shut down due to economic losses.
The famous Jungle Train that ran from San José to the
Caribbean port of Limón was discontinued because of
earthquake-caused landslides. Starting in 2002, the Railroad
Institute (INCOFER) offered twice weekly passenger service
to Puntarenas. With any luck, full train service to both coasts
will resume soon.
Due to an effort to reduce traffic in the metropolitan San
José area two interurban commuter lines were started
in the last year. One train runs from east to west from Pavas
to the Universidad Latina in San Pedro. Another line runs
for about eight miles from San Vicente de Paul Hospital in
the city of Heredia to the Universidad Latina. In the future
the commuter routes could be expanded to Alajuela and Cartago.
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