I say good Good; the sooner we get an efficient system to haul freight and passengers between the two major cities of the nation and logistic points of entry/exit out of the country the better off the DR will be.


Haulers fear the Santo Domingo-Santiago train

The train will put an end to the "mafia" of hauling freight and passengers


Noticia Comentarios

SANTO DOMINGO. The construction of a freight and passenger train system between Santo Domingo and Santiago will be a positive thing for the population, because besides saving time, there will be a considerable drop in the cost of these services, according to what is being explained by the engineer and specialist in transportation, Mario Berges.

However the most positive impact that the project will have will be to put an end to "the monopoly and the mafia" which he says operates in both freight and passenger services provided by the syndicates.

"The train will lower the costs, because it is more efficient, faster and the groups will have to adapt to this, because if they are allowed to boycott the train we will be in the same situation and there will be no progress", explained Berges.

According to the Office for the Reorganization of Transportation (Opret), the train will have the capacity to transport each day 143,000 tons of cargo and 46,000 passengers, numbers that are quite close to the flows that are now moved by the transportation groups that work in the Cibao region and whose leaders are now unsure and distrustful of the fate that awaits them if the project becomes a reality.

Freddy Mendez, the president of the Bus Owners Unit, said that the 19 members of this group, which includes Caribe Tour, Grupo Metro, Transporte Espinal, and Transporte del Cibao, moves 70,000 persons a day in the area of the Cibao Valley, plus the cargo service they offer. The so-called "flying mini-buses" haul a significant number of passengers that have to be added to this total.

Meanwhile, Rafael (Blas) Peralta, the head of the National Federation of Dominican Transport (Fenatrado) told reporters that his group moves more than 500 trucks to and from the Cibao on a daily basis. These vehicles move around 200 containers of merchandise that go in and out of the ports of Haina and Caucedo.

Well aware that they will be affected by the train, which will be preferred by passengers, Mendez argued for a meeting with the government with the idea of reaching some sort of an agreement or partnership that will guarantee the investment of billions of pesos that the bus companies have made in their businesses.

He said that just the private passenger service companies have flotillas of around 200 buses whose prices range from RD$8 million to RD$10 million each.

"They will allege that this is development and that the country will benefit, but the investments that we have will be heavily affected and I believe that this merits a conversation with a sector that has billions invested in the business of moving people."

Blas Peralta is more radical, and warns that there will be chaos, if the government does not talk to them and tell them what their participation will be in the project.

"The government has to sit down with us and tell us our role and not give us a "slap on the head", because they are going to build a railroad, but here we will create chaos, because they can't treat us like the public sector of passenger service", said Peralta.

Engineer Berges insisted that the train is a project that benefits society and for that reason the greater benefit to society should be imposed over the interests of a "little group". However, they do understand that they can provide organized participation and through competition to the syndicates that handle the freight and passenger service now.

The SD-Santiago train according to OPRET

The combined system of passengers and freight will run for 126 kilometers from Santo Domingo to Santiago de los Caballeros. It will be capable of moving at 220 kph and a maximum speed of 250 kph. The route will go between the two major cities and offer service to Moca, Constanza, San Francisco de Macoris, Villa Altagracia and San Cristobal. Although the bidding process has not been completed, the recent announcements by the president regarding possible investors in the project bring the realization of the project all the closer to fulfillment.

http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/2009/12/04/i226038_index.html

Yes I think it is a good thing but far to long and should have never removed the old lines...

Is it not very strange to not go the extra way to Pueta Plata??? I think that is a very strange decision and one they may regret when it will cost more to do...

Get the unsafe trucks buses and cars off that road and remove the power the union has over the countries transport...

Who has stated that this would be the END of the lines As with all similar type of transportation systems, this one could and in due course will see additional lines incorporated. But the main transit conduit is the SD-Santiago route. That's why it should and will start with this route.

On.. on one has stated this would be the end of the line.. but neither have they said it would continue at a later date!!
If making such an announcement would you not include other plans and connections in the future?? It would seem logical that the distance between Santiago and Pueto Plata is less than to SD...
There for making a fully equipped sea port in the north would be even more of a benefit than a monopoly of one port connected to the rail network ...?? Is not competition a good thing in your books, to raise standards in service and competitive pricing? By giving just one sea port the access to the rail line would be a disadvantage all the others, not help competitive pricing or lift standards...

It's because of the curse that have afflicted this island ever since Columbus set feet on it, that is, the one of "intereses creados" (monopolies). If this line were to be made to Puerto Plata, that city would become inmediately the most important port in the island, specially when we consider the fact that our main commercial interests lie in North America, whose route would be even more direct than the one the ships have to take currently to Haina/Santo Domingo.

The language of the transport unions suggests they want to continue to bully the government and the public. Let's hope the rail service can be operated without being constrained by the unions in the same way.

The investment in buses and trucks is no reason to stop the rail service. The rail connects the country's two biggest cities, however there will still be a substantial, and growing need for connecting to the other cities and towns. They just need to adapt. It is important that the public and the government call the shots, and not the unions.

I could be wrong, but perhaps the next route to open sea will be a connection from Santiago to the Port of Pepillo Salcedo (Manzanillo)



The old line does need an infusion of funds and modernization



VIEJO VAGONES DE CANA EN MONTE CRISTI..


Source: http://ports.com/dominican-republic/port-of-pepillo-salcedo-manzanillo/photos/#/show-gallery?o=photo-29

Where does that line run from and too?? It could be done at a very little cost as all the expensive part is already done...well comparatively little??