Tocumen (PTY) and the Line 2 branch
Panama was the first country in Central America to connect its main airport to a metro, and the connection is a 2 km branch you join by changing at Corredor Sur.
- The Line 2 branch opened on 15 March 2023, after 39 months of construction.
- It is 2 km long, with two stations: ITSE and Aeropuerto.
- You cannot ride straight through. Get off at Corredor Sur and take the train waiting on the central platform.
- Panama was the first country in Central America to link its main international airport to a metro.
- It was built for the airport's own 8,000 workers as much as for passengers.
The branch, and the change
- Metro de Panama opened the Line 2 branch on 15 March 2023, after 39 months of construction and a period of trial running.
- The branch is 2 km long, running from the Corredor Sur bifurcation to Tocumen, with two stations: ITSE, at the technical institute, and Aeropuerto.
- To reach either, you travel to Corredor Sur station and take the train waiting at the central platform there. This is the part nobody tells you and it is the reason people miss it.
Why it matters
- Panama became the first country in Central America, and one of few in the Americas, to connect its main international airport to a metro system.
- It carries the airport's own workforce, about 8,000 people, as well as passengers, so it runs to a working timetable rather than a tourist one.
Practical
- Line 2 runs east-west across the metropolitan area, connecting to Line 1 for the city centre and Albrook.
- With luggage, weigh the change of trains against a taxi. For one bag it is straightforward; for a family with cases at rush hour it is not.
- Tocumen is a hub, not just a destination. Copa connects most of the Americas through here, and a long layover is a normal reason to be at this airport.
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