I took the Tren Interurbano from San Jose to Cartago.
Only 3 railway lines are operating in Costa Rica right now:
- San José – Cartago
- Curridabat – Pavas – Belén
- San José – Heredia -Alajuela
They are commuter trains, but a novel way to travel.
The Interurbano Line (Tren Interurbano) is a commuter railway line in Costa Rica, which is operated by the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles – Incofer. The line connects the provinces of Alajuela, Heredia, San José and Cartago.
Here is the Estación Atlántico in San José, Costa Rica:
The Estación Atlántico dates from 1908:
I wanted to take the 15:00 out of San José and come back on the 16:30 or the 17:30, but the afternoon rains are horrendous, so I skipped my free breakfast at the TripOn Hostel and took the 07:55 instead.
Ticket hall at the Estación Atlántico in San José:
You can buy the ticket at the station, or on the train:
Ticket from Estación Atlántico to Estación Cartago:
You can check the incofer.go.cr website for the latest schedule and fares for the commuter trains from San Jose to Cartago and the other lines.
San José to Cartago
Riding the Estación Atlántico in San José to Estación Cartago Interurban train, Costa Rica, September 2022:
The trains are new, air-conditioned and take almost 1 hour to cover the 20 km. There are no toilets on board. It’s as you see below:
Most of the trains are new, but I did see some of the older ex-Spanish trains.
It’s an unique experience as trains in Central America are almost non-existent.
Trains in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala have been disbanded despite having, at one time, a good network.
Honduras is said to have a freight service and a few kilometres of tourist track but I can not confirm if things are still running.
Panama has a metro with 2 lines and a Tourist Train which runs from Panama City to Colón.
At the Estación Cartago in Costa Rica:
On arrival, I backpacked the town of Cartago for some hours before taking the bus back to San José.
Buses go from the main bus terminal in Cartago just north of the station and are operated by Lumaca. The fare was 680 CRC and took almost an hour due to the traffic.
The train is certainly more comfortable and convenient for the hostels in Barrio Escalante.
Photos taken at or near the Estación Atlántico in San José, Costa Rica:
