Traveling by train in Panama | DW Documentary

The Panama Canal Railway runs parallel to the Panama Canal, connecting the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The train ride is a popular journey among tourists. Although much older than the famous canal, the Panama Rail Road never enjoyed the same recognition. The maiden voyage across the Isthumus of Panama in 1855 was the first train to run from ocean to ocean. Its significance was lost, however, just four decades later when the U.S. opened a route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Today a train ride along the old line is a treat for tourists. Ever since it opened for commercial operations in 1914, the Panama Canal has been greatly beneficial to the economy in Central America. Eighty-two kilometers long, it meant goods could be shipped from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast much faster; a single journey could be reduced by a good three weeks. From 1914 until 1979 the canal was under the control of the United States. For two decades it was then jointly controlled by the US and Panam