An ambitious proposal presented yesterday to Costa Rican transportation officials envisions a subway with three lines crossing the province of San José from east to west and from north to south, said the Federated College of Engineers and Architects (CFIA).

The entity’s pre-feasibility study was handed over to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT); it would cost an estimated US$6 billion and involve a 10-year construction period, according to reports in the main Costa Rican Spanish daily La Nación.

The routes proposed are Curridabat-Uruca (10.8 km), Guadalupe-Alajuelita (10.3 km) and Desamparados-Tibás (8.2 km).

The system, in this preliminary proposal, would include a large terminal for transfers at Plaza González Víquez in San José, plus other stations along the three lines.

Olman Vargas, CFIA executive director, said such a project would require the commitment of consecutive governments, the implementation of complementary projects, and the participation of the private sector due to the high cost of the proposed project.

One of the complementary initiatives is creating a bus transport system run by sectors so that buses would operate in tandem with the metro and both public transportation systems be linked.

“There must be political will, two or three administrations following the same line and following a well planned process; that is why we are asking to include it in the National Development Plan and the National Public Transport Plan,” said Vargas in an interview with La Nación.

Carlos Villalta, head of MOPT, said his agency still needed to study the report in detail, and said, “I think this study is important.”

Since 2012, the CFIA has made several efforts to push forward plans for the construction of a metro in the country. This is the first time they have submitted a pre-feasibility study for analysis by the executive branch and transportation officials.