TRIAL train operation is now in progress on the new branch extending Line 2 of the Panama Metro to Tocumen International Airport.

The trials are taking place at weekends throughout October.

During the trials, Panama Metro staff are being deployed at stations on Line 2 to prevent passengers from boarding the trains involved in the trials.

The new branch will benefit thousands of passengers and the 8000 workers who travel to the airport every day, says Panama Metro.

There will be one intermediate station at ITSE, serving the Specialised Superior Technical Institute (ITSE) which has 5000 students, as well as the nearby National Institute of Vocational Training (INADEH), schools and local communities.

Meanwhile, Panama Metro also reports that the first section of concrete guideway has been lifted into place on the first phase of Line 3, a 24.5km monorail running from Albrook to Ciudad del Futuro with 14 stations.

Work to build the elevated monorail guideway will continue until 2024, requiring the installation of 1587 sections.

The guideway sections vary in length from 22m to 28m and weigh between 62 tonnes and 100 tonnes. The guideway is 80cm wide.

Work is being undertaken by Panamanian contractors, assisted by specialists from Korea who worked on the construction of the 24km driverless monorail in Daegu.