SANTO DOMINGO. - The Transport Reform Office (Opret) on Monday called the Santo Domingo Metro’s firs two years in operation successful, with the passengers having ridden it 42 million times efficiently.
Opret Assistant director Leonel Carrasco said the subway’s construction was a positive step by president Leonel Fernandez’s Administration, and noted that the Metro has sought to provide some social segments with a transport to reach remote points of the city that they didn’t have before.
He said the Metro began its operations mounting nearly 25,000 passengers daily and has now reached 97,000, surpassing other subways in the region.
The official said the figures mean savings in fossil fuels, auto parts, lubricants and other costs, and that the number of accidents in the Metro is practically zero.
Carrasco thanked the commuters for their disciplined behavior the Metro, which in his view speaks very well of Dominicans.
From: Dominican Republic, Santiago de los 30 Caballeros
Most infrastructure projects are not intended to generate revenue from within. The true purpose of Infrastructure development is to create jobs and promote growth, which generates revenue in many other areas. So if anyone is interested in figuring out how much revenue the Metro project generated on its own. You are completely clueless and wasting your time.
From: United States
Palante presidente. Los burros estaran bravos,pero los burros no saben de eso.lol
Written by: telemeco, 31 Jan 2011 4:26 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Monte Plata
well this is one of those project that is hate it, but it is need it. when i when to school at Santo Cura de Ars, use to walk home via Maximo Gomez for hours to get to Villa Mella. it was trafic chaos and abuse by the voladora,,,and this was 1992...imagine it now,,,must be even worse.
Written by: xwill7, 31 Jan 2011 4:54 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
How many riders were tourists or people just checking out the ride?
Written by: BASTA, 31 Jan 2011 5:37 PM
From: Dominican Republic, =Ghetto/Legalize Drugs
The Gov. projected 12 x that amount. What happened?
Written by: ateo2010 
, 31 Jan 2011 5:45 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Owning Noobs
STFU , who cares as long as this project generated/s jobs and has eased the traffic jams on those areas of SD we're heading on the good way.
From: Dominican Republic, vieja Santo Domingo
This is good news for the second metro along kennedy which I hope will cross the Rio Ozama and go onto mega Centro in the east or even further down to las Americas where all the buses meet and . In the other direction it could go Carrefour oe even onto Villa Altigracia . That would relieve much pressure on the over crowded roads
Written by: LuiGy, 31 Jan 2011 8:44 PM
From: United States
why is there a military personal here? every time there is news there is military. makes you wonder what kind of community we live on.
the US gov run Amtrak has an annual passenger rate of 25 million riders but that doesn't mean that its successful. every year the US gov has to bail it out. look at the MTA in NYC, its gov run and again it has to get bailed out every year. it cost way too much and has out many out of work in the private sector. yeah it grew jobs in the construction zone but that's like saying stadiums grow the economy. when the project is finished, so is the job.
From: Dominican Republic, vieja Santo Domingo
They are not often from the army but in the DR there are many organisations where the people wear uniforms with much decoration ..the police, the transport police, AMET , the tourist police , the Presidential guards are just an example ...but you write about what kind of community we live in but I do not think you live here if you do not know all this .
Most public transport systems around the world run at a loss and need a subsidy ..but that comes from our taxes
Written by: LuiGy, 31 Jan 2011 9:18 PM
From: United States
"Most public transport systems around the world run at a loss and need a subsidy ..but that comes from our taxes"
so let the private sector run them. i do have a problem funding your ride since i don't use public transportation! do you think if i ran the metro at a lost i would stay open? NO i would bankrupt the company.
and yeah i do question it. just asking ir we're a militarized country. i don't live i visit the DR but i have my homes there. i dont know much about the DR cept for what the average Dominican knows about it. i joined this site to educate myself on the country i was planning to go back and live but i guess that aint happening. not on the current trend its on. but i don't give up on it. just like you shouldn't either!
From: United States
if you dont like the metro, you are clueless. metro=more jobs,less petroleum importation , less traffic, less contamination, save time and money, more investment, development etc.
From: United States, Brooklyn
The obvious benefits were right in front of the pessimist... and wait until it's fully ready!
From: United States, Brooklyn
xstupid is pissed cuz his second place city doesnt have a metro... jajajajsjaja
From: United States
Where are all the pessimists and "ney sayers" that talked so much crap about this project. Many of whom stated time and time again that no one would ride the Metro. Even if these people are tourist r just checking out how the train runs 42 Million rides in a city of 3.5 or 4 million people is a huge achievement. That's only on one line and w/in the first two years. Wait until lines two and three are completely finished along with the other proposed lines. This project will ultimately bring about many benefits to the city of Santo Domingo and to the DR in general.
Written by: abc200, 1 Feb 2011 10:17 AM
From: United Kingdom, Dominican Republic
A great achievement!
S.
Written by: LuiGy, 1 Feb 2011 10:25 AM
From: United States
jarabacoa
sure is? so let the government run a metro in every street of the country then. i dont have a problem with the metro. i have a problem with the gov running the metro. the gov always does a bad job and in DR's gov it has never done a good job maybe in the beginning but they would just rot in time. and how is using less petro good? it is not saving money its just a transfer of money, thats what happens when the gov competes with the private sector. it creates monopoly. the metro is a double tax. your probably loving it but when mismanages and missing money and union deals kick in which will cause greater cost you wont like it at all. more investment? how? the government sucked up all the money that could of been used by an entrepreneur or a investor to open real business that would create real jobs that benefit us.
From: Dominican Republic, vieja Santo Domingo
If the public sector runs the rails , there has to be controls placed on the ticket prices....and a very good contract ..I like the govt run trains in Europe and around the world ..
From: United States, words of wisdom from the nutcracker
Theonly thing good that fa g leonel has done , now if only he could fix that pesky energy problem .
Written by: markc21, 1 Feb 2011 6:15 PM
From: Poland
This's nice accomplishment for DR to challenge traffic and pollution problems. But, still a lot, lot more is needed to improve public transportation and establish basic regulation to acceptable standards.
Good, one step in the right direction. We are waiting for more decisions similar to metro project.
(For egz. in Warsaw, PL metro, 300,000 to 400,000 passengers are using it daily)
Written by: caonabo, 1 Feb 2011 8:09 PM
From: United States
"Passengers having RIDDEN it 42 million TIMES efficiently" makes sense. "Santo Domingo Metro served 42M riders" does not.
Written by: LuiGy, 1 Feb 2011 11:58 PM
From: United States
"If the public sector runs the rails , there has to be controls placed on the ticket prices....and a very good contract ..I like the govt run trains in Europe and around the world"
do you like giving the gov half your paycheck too?
From: United States
I live in the US and I literally give the government half my paycheck every two weeks in the name of Federal, State and City Taxes.
Written by: DomLon, 11 Feb 2011 9:36 AM
From: United Kingdom
Public or private sector the metro has to be run as a monopoly or are people expecting competition - perhaps the transport unions could run separate cariages/trains.
The first line is a great achivement but the transport probelms of Santo Domingo will not be solved by digging lines only - the city would not be able to afford it.
City services are extremely dispersed, there is no city centre to speak of. To go anywhere you need to go by car. What is needed is a complementary and extensive bus system + safe routes and crossings for pedestrians.
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Most infrastructure projects are not intended to generate revenue from within. The true purpose of Infrastructure development is to create jobs and promote growth, which generates revenue in many other areas. So if anyone is interested in figuring out how much revenue the Metro project generated on its own. You are completely clueless and wasting your time.
the US gov run Amtrak has an annual passenger rate of 25 million riders but that doesn't mean that its successful. every year the US gov has to bail it out. look at the MTA in NYC, its gov run and again it has to get bailed out every year. it cost way too much and has out many out of work in the private sector. yeah it grew jobs in the construction zone but that's like saying stadiums grow the economy. when the project is finished, so is the job.
Most public transport systems around the world run at a loss and need a subsidy ..but that comes from our taxes
so let the private sector run them. i do have a problem funding your ride since i don't use public transportation! do you think if i ran the metro at a lost i would stay open? NO i would bankrupt the company.
and yeah i do question it. just asking ir we're a militarized country. i don't live i visit the DR but i have my homes there. i dont know much about the DR cept for what the average Dominican knows about it. i joined this site to educate myself on the country i was planning to go back and live but i guess that aint happening. not on the current trend its on. but i don't give up on it. just like you shouldn't either!
The obvious benefits were right in front of the pessimist... and wait until it's fully ready!
xstupid is pissed cuz his second place city doesnt have a metro... jajajajsjaja
S.
sure is? so let the government run a metro in every street of the country then. i dont have a problem with the metro. i have a problem with the gov running the metro. the gov always does a bad job and in DR's gov it has never done a good job maybe in the beginning but they would just rot in time. and how is using less petro good? it is not saving money its just a transfer of money, thats what happens when the gov competes with the private sector. it creates monopoly. the metro is a double tax. your probably loving it but when mismanages and missing money and union deals kick in which will cause greater cost you wont like it at all. more investment? how? the government sucked up all the money that could of been used by an entrepreneur or a investor to open real business that would create real jobs that benefit us.
Good, one step in the right direction. We are waiting for more decisions similar to metro project.
(For egz. in Warsaw, PL metro, 300,000 to 400,000 passengers are using it daily)
do you like giving the gov half your paycheck too?
The first line is a great achivement but the transport probelms of Santo Domingo will not be solved by digging lines only - the city would not be able to afford it.
City services are extremely dispersed, there is no city centre to speak of. To go anywhere you need to go by car. What is needed is a complementary and extensive bus system + safe routes and crossings for pedestrians.