After the 9 October earthquake, the Metro reopens and Line 3 and the Canal tunnel report no damage

Minister of the Presidency Juan Carlos Orillac said Metro Lines 1 and 2, suspended after the 9 October earthquake, resumed service on 11 October after technical inspections and test runs. He said construction of Metro Line 3 and the tunnel under the Panama Canal reported no damage and is continuing.

Background & context

The earthquake struck on 9 October 2026 at 12:56 p.m., with its epicentre near Tonosí, Los Santos. Panama's Institute of Geosciences gave a magnitude of 7.5; the USGS revised its estimate to 7.7. The government declared a state of emergency.

Line 3 matters for the railway: the Railway Secretariat plans to connect the train with Line 3 at the Panamá Pacífico station. The HPH Joint Venture building Line 3 told Entremés Panamá Oeste that the only incident was some false-ceiling panels, still being installed, falling at an elevated station.

Canal Affairs Minister José Ramón Icaza named Tonosí, Los Pozos and Soná among the most affected areas; Soná is one of the 14 planned railway stations. As of 15 October 2026, we had not found a statement from the Railway Secretariat on what the earthquake means for the project's studies or route.