Metro 2 could run this summer

Santo Domingo residents could soon be riding the second line of the metro. As reported in El Dia, Leonel Carrasco, spokesman for the Opret office in charge of the construction, said that seven new cars had recently arrived of a total of 45 that will run on the line.

The second line was originally intended to span a length of 22km, from Los Alcarrizos to the northwest to San Luis in the southeast, but only 14kms are scheduled to enter into operation this year.

Carrasco says that construction of the 14km stretch is 90% complete, but there is no official opening date yet. He said that work is still under way on the 19 and 20 stations. The second line is completely underground and there is a transfer station at the Maximo Gomez intersection with the first line.

The second line will be in operation from Avenida Luperon in western Santo Domingo to Av. Padre Castellanos to the east. Carrasco says that it would double the number of users of the first line.

As reported in El Dia, the Metro sells 100,000 fares a day on the first line. The second line was tested in August, using cars from the first line, on the occasion of the Santo Domingo Book Fair celebration. El Dia says that the second line could enter into operation "after August."

The Metro will have Wi-Fi

Three Santo Domingo Metro stations will be equipped with wi-fi Internet access and fixed terminals, which will benefit riders of the city's fast transit system. The news was released with a joint statement from the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) and the Transport Reorganization Office (Opret). The pilot project will provide free broadband access at three of the main Metro stations: the Juan Pablo Duarte station at the intersection of Maximo Gomez and John F. Kennedy, the Casandra Damiron Station at the intersection of Maximo Gomez and Pedro Henriquez Urena and the Hermanas Mirabal Station that is located at Maximo Gomez and Paseo Mirador del Norte, in the National District. There will also be kiosks with fixed computers for access to the Internet for commuters without portable equipment.

Nice pictures,So far i did not see any exaust fans in place at the tunnel's ceillings to get rid of smoke in case of fire. This is very inportant and crucial. No where was AC mentioned about cooling system in the trains. Fans are obsolite,proven ,all it does is move hot air around.

Also for what i understand fundings to go ahead with future construction came to a halt. NO MORE LOANS . How about tapping into the national banks for future loans ? even if they have to float
BONDS?

Since the capital is located by the sea water front. The probability of flooding will occur from time to time. I did not see the super pumps installed to drain the water away & out from the tracks.

Would they have a second source of electricity in case the primary fails? You don't want to be stranded in the middle of a tunnel just because there is no electric power.

Maintannace: How often are you going to maintain the rolling stocks as well as visual checks for cracks in the permanet structure? There is such a thing called "corrosion" on all metals and for that there is a treatement called "Electrolysis" applied at the structure to prevent it. A negative voltage .
For further information on Electrolysis get intouch with Mr Serge Philippeaux MTANYCTA 126 w.53rd st
ph #1917 418 1335 m-f 8-4pm If more info is needed call Belgium they are the experts on this.

Atabey:
No thanks, am retired from the public transportation business, further more too many head butts to get anything done in a 3rd world country such as ours .Employment and positions are adquired by favoritism, not by knowlege of the subject, (PALANCAS) have to be something of the past.

I think i put my time in but i could only speak by my experience after 41 years with the NYCMTA. I have observed too many mistakes and my knowlege was adquired by watching other people's mistakes and learned by theirs My observation; this METRO was not well planned and accordinly it is going to be a failure sooner or later starting by what i previously mentioned above.
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All projects unless properly supervised by the (CONTRACT COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENTt) ,with close momitoring on its installation by the contractors, so as to meet all criteria from the (Capital Budget) prior to bidding on the projects, they will give the METRO manager the business.

By so saying every project has a start date and a completion date, beyond that the contractor will be penalized by a fine per day if not completed on time. Material quality has to be by specification under written waranteed labor and parts for 10 yrs .If deterioration ocurres with in that period time frame.

(Contractor shall repair same at no cost to the DR METRO).This applies to moving part as well as non moving parts,'Static' such as rectifiers,Transformers .No asbestos to be used for breaks as well as HT or LTcables or Switch Gears & Transformers. The Railings are to be checked periodicaly with in 6 months period ,to check for abnormalities such as cracks,worn out,spreading distance of 3mills tolerance,replace part as they becomer worned out or deffective so as not to create derailments and accidents where the public safety is a must.

TAR-Great observations, nevertheless, if you understably not want to participate as consultant perhaps you can write a letter to Medina or to someone who will pay attention and perhaps your message will get through.

Work to resume on Metro

The director of the Transport Reorganization Office (Opret), Diandino Pena, is hopeful the funds will start flowing again for the completion of the first part of the second line of the Santo Domingo Metro. Yesterday, Wednesday 29 August, Pena met with President Danilo Medina. He said that the President guaranteed that within its limitations, the government would inject the necessary resources to finish the first half of the second line of the Santo Domingo Metro by the end of this year.

www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2012/8/30/245438/El-Presidente-garantiza-recursos-para-la-segunda-linea-del-Metro

www.hoy.com.do/el-pais/2012/8/29/443949/Medina-habria-prometido-recursos-para-Metro

Good article on the METRO, but unless the local banks do their part the central gvt can't do it by itself as it has been doing so far, plus loans from IMF, W/B, Inter American Bank at hiegh interest loans

I want to see a project completed once started but let's discontinue future plans for a #3,#4,#5,#6 lines at national expense,and forget NATIONAL EDUCATION, HEALTH, HOUSING, NUTRITION.) All the forementioned 4 are as important as the METRO.

Jobs are not created by the gvt but it creates the atmosphere for jobs to happen with out injecting money into it as it is the present belief, it foresees its accomplishments by creating inspectors that don't accept bribes for less quality materials and are there with the contractors putting their time in as well.