A great experience on the Heredia Train
From Live in Costa Rica Blog

The other day I had to attend a business meeting in the heart of downtown San José at 2 pm. My associates and I met at the Patio Restaurant on Central Avenue.

The Patio is a great place to watch people as they walk by and the food is very good. I have held many business meetings there because of the ambience and the convenient location.

The patio is located on Central Avenue and 7th Street adjacent to the Balmoral Hotel. Retirees, tourists and or anyone living in Costa Rica looking for a little adventure should check The Patio out while in downtown San José.

Anyway it was approaching 4:30 and I needed to return to Heredia. I had two choices: take one of three buses that go to Heredia or take the train. After talking with my friend Rico of Inside Costa Rica fame, considering the time and my proximity to the train station I opted to take the train. I walked about five blocks to the station located across the street form The National Park and purchased my ticket for around 85 cents. I stood in line for about 10 minutes until it was 5 o’clock and then boarded the train.

The cars are modern, have comfortable seating and offer a less stressful option than taking the bus or making the commute by car. The trip took about 30 minutes during rush hour and the train makes three short stops to load and unload passengers before arriving at the old station in downtown Heredia. The only inconvenience was that the car I was in was not next to the ramp and I had to jump from what seemed to be a two foot drop when getting off the train. Anyone with physical problems would have to exit through the door that leads to the main ramp.

Costa Rica’s trains only run during commuter hours in the morning starting at 6 am and during the late afternoon and early evening. Schedules for all of Costa Rica’s commuter trains may be found at: http://horariodetren.com/cr/

Trains in Costa Rica (Tren Urbano)
The railway network in Costa Rica was relatively large and continuous from coast to coast. In the early nineties transportation of passengers and goods from coast to coast over the high lands was suspended.

Most part of the rail network became useless in the mean time. Only in the banana growing areas of Limon goods are still transported by rail. 

In 2005 the passenger service between Pavas (Metropolis III) and the Universidad Latina in Zapote via San José was resumed by the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarril (INCOFER). Since August 2009, the line Heredia - San José is operating again. The connection San Antonio de Belén - San Jose was reactivated in April 2011.