I'm curious about what's going with the Metro. I know it opened up for limited service, but besides that I hear very little. Has anyone taken a ride on it yet? Where does it run and what hours does it operate? Where are the stops? Is there a web site with a map? I will be in the capital in January and thought I might take a friend of mines kids for ride on it as long as it was safe and operational. I live in Boston and always take visitors on the subway here and they get a kick out of it, at least for the first few rides.
- Thread starter BPL888
- Start date
Metro Update?
The metro has been open up to the public for free during the testing period only, I took it last week it was nice, safe and very clean there was a Cesmet guard at every coach and the ride between Centro de los eroes and Mama Tingo Station in Villa Mella took about 25 minutes or so.
It will be open for free rides until January 6, 2009 during the hours of 9 am and 7 pm.
It will be open for free rides until January 6, 2009 during the hours of 9 am and 7 pm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=badRC3NMX7c
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The Metro as afforded by Tallman, is indeed operating in a limited capacity.
The actual commercial operations (read open for biz) will be as soon as the supervisory heads give the "Good to Go" for the system to enter operations.
You have to keep in mind that people are being "educated" on the trial runs, so they become acquainted with a never before used form of transportation in the country.
A stress test is also being done with all systems and peripheral structures of support and containment. For example, some tempered glass shields on one of the escalators in a station gave way under the pressure of the people trying to rush up the stair as the sound of the incoming train announced that it was entering the station. As you may well know, it's a quite common thing for straphangers in equal systems to do such thing elsewhere as trains approach the stations.
The glass shields were too tensed and didn't allow for much pressure before failure. The trials allows the authorities to make final adjustments as needed before the system becomes commercially operational, while being put under normal stress of usage it's expected to be under during the trials and later normal usage.
Other systems that were found to be in need of adjustments were the PA systems in some stations and halls. Camera positions, security personnel placement, emergency communicators for users in several spots before not taken under consideration, etc...
So far the trials are a resounding success, given that the OMSA and syndicated bus services were running empty the whole time the trains were on limited operations.
As for the cost of operations, as afforded to the press by OPRET, a yearly 25 million dollar figure is the estimated balance.
The Metro once operational is expected to have a daily ridership of 200,000. If we peg this to the 20 or 25 pesos cost of the trips, it translates in between 1.4 and 1.5 billion pesos yearly correspondingly to each associated rate. If we translate the 25 million US of the estimated cost to run the Metro into Pesos, we obtain a figure of about 900 million pesos...
It's clear that the Metro is capable of generating income to pay its operational costs and then some. That's even without taking under account revenues from commercial spots rental inside the station as you could see in the first video posted, an Orange store already placed there in one of them. Without ads revenue produced via flat panels inside the trains and placed as they will be in the stations. Without the revenues from commercial ads over the PA systems within the train, and stations all around. The revenues from ads printed on the fare card themselves and collocation of shared ad campaigns by commerce along with the Metro as many cities do in other parts of the world.
Side by side, the SD Metro is one of the most energy efficient systems in the world today and that's a fact documented...
The SD Metro can be operated via an integrated computer system from the control room, if by any given occurrence; the train operators are not present or willing to perform their duties. Quite simply, a system capable of out running a worker strike while maintaining 100% safety in operations.
The SD Metro is expected to become self sufficient once a projected ridership is reached. That could take as short as a few months or as long as two years.
Hence the need for the gov to provide a subsidy in the initial operational phases.
Line 2 is ready to go as soon as Line 1 enters commercial operations, but this time the gov will have private investors joining the funding process for good.
The Santiago - SD train is going ahead as well!!! All the studies have been completed and once the gov enacts all the regulations needed for such project, the line will go full speed ahead on construction. The Santiago - SD train is estimated to be done in half the time it took to build Line 1 of the SD Metro and with one third the budget.
There're several big (and I mean huge) projects that will be announced and commenced in the DR before Q2 of 2009. The DR will have the first supertall of the Caribbean!!!!
HDTV will be the norm for all TV stations being broadcasted in the country and HD Radio too. Two new heavy weight players in the world will enter the DR's energy sector and will have full control of the power grid in the country for good...
The SD Metro is just the tip of the iceberg emerging in the DR...
Take a ride and then form your own opinion about it and post it here!!!
If like me, you have taken the NYC Subway, Boston, Paris Metro, Spain, Japan and others in LA and the world, please judge for yourselves the quality and value of the system compared to those in the world, built with a gross amount times over ours and yet much less efficient in many terms and operational costs.
You be the judge! ~
The actual commercial operations (read open for biz) will be as soon as the supervisory heads give the "Good to Go" for the system to enter operations.
You have to keep in mind that people are being "educated" on the trial runs, so they become acquainted with a never before used form of transportation in the country.
A stress test is also being done with all systems and peripheral structures of support and containment. For example, some tempered glass shields on one of the escalators in a station gave way under the pressure of the people trying to rush up the stair as the sound of the incoming train announced that it was entering the station. As you may well know, it's a quite common thing for straphangers in equal systems to do such thing elsewhere as trains approach the stations.
The glass shields were too tensed and didn't allow for much pressure before failure. The trials allows the authorities to make final adjustments as needed before the system becomes commercially operational, while being put under normal stress of usage it's expected to be under during the trials and later normal usage.
Other systems that were found to be in need of adjustments were the PA systems in some stations and halls. Camera positions, security personnel placement, emergency communicators for users in several spots before not taken under consideration, etc...
So far the trials are a resounding success, given that the OMSA and syndicated bus services were running empty the whole time the trains were on limited operations.
As for the cost of operations, as afforded to the press by OPRET, a yearly 25 million dollar figure is the estimated balance.
The Metro once operational is expected to have a daily ridership of 200,000. If we peg this to the 20 or 25 pesos cost of the trips, it translates in between 1.4 and 1.5 billion pesos yearly correspondingly to each associated rate. If we translate the 25 million US of the estimated cost to run the Metro into Pesos, we obtain a figure of about 900 million pesos...
It's clear that the Metro is capable of generating income to pay its operational costs and then some. That's even without taking under account revenues from commercial spots rental inside the station as you could see in the first video posted, an Orange store already placed there in one of them. Without ads revenue produced via flat panels inside the trains and placed as they will be in the stations. Without the revenues from commercial ads over the PA systems within the train, and stations all around. The revenues from ads printed on the fare card themselves and collocation of shared ad campaigns by commerce along with the Metro as many cities do in other parts of the world.
Side by side, the SD Metro is one of the most energy efficient systems in the world today and that's a fact documented...
The SD Metro can be operated via an integrated computer system from the control room, if by any given occurrence; the train operators are not present or willing to perform their duties. Quite simply, a system capable of out running a worker strike while maintaining 100% safety in operations.
The SD Metro is expected to become self sufficient once a projected ridership is reached. That could take as short as a few months or as long as two years.
Hence the need for the gov to provide a subsidy in the initial operational phases.
Line 2 is ready to go as soon as Line 1 enters commercial operations, but this time the gov will have private investors joining the funding process for good.
The Santiago - SD train is going ahead as well!!! All the studies have been completed and once the gov enacts all the regulations needed for such project, the line will go full speed ahead on construction. The Santiago - SD train is estimated to be done in half the time it took to build Line 1 of the SD Metro and with one third the budget.
There're several big (and I mean huge) projects that will be announced and commenced in the DR before Q2 of 2009. The DR will have the first supertall of the Caribbean!!!!
HDTV will be the norm for all TV stations being broadcasted in the country and HD Radio too. Two new heavy weight players in the world will enter the DR's energy sector and will have full control of the power grid in the country for good...
The SD Metro is just the tip of the iceberg emerging in the DR...
Take a ride and then form your own opinion about it and post it here!!!
If like me, you have taken the NYC Subway, Boston, Paris Metro, Spain, Japan and others in LA and the world, please judge for yourselves the quality and value of the system compared to those in the world, built with a gross amount times over ours and yet much less efficient in many terms and operational costs.
You be the judge! ~
"The SD Metro is just the tip of the iceberg emerging in the DR..."
Lets hope this includes a decent public education system, public health provison and a professional civil service for starters.
Lets hope this includes a decent public education system, public health provison and a professional civil service for starters.
Those trains take a lot of damn people to fill, ..
<EMBED height=350 type=application/x-shockwave-flash width=425 src=http://www.youtube.com/v/lRDXGqZsXFM wmode="transparent">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRDXG...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRDXG...eature=related
Aegap, the stations and overall system was built with the notion of keeping the service fit to expand as added lines continue to create more demand and congestion within the Metro itself.
For this aim the stations were designed to be able to expand the train sets from 3 cars (as today and while in commercial service they will be set in such configuration) to as many as doubled that number to 6. That takes care of demand growth while keeping the need to expand infrastructure in check for a good longtime.
If you also notice the height of the ceilings in all stations is really extreme compared to other systems in use today, which takes care of humidity and air quality issues; as well as providing room for future enhancements to the system. The air flow dynamics is greatly impacted when you provide a larger area for the same to flow free of obstructions, saving money in AC ventilation and exhausting any foul odors and dangerous concentrations of fumes in the stations themselves in case of fires away from users.
An air quality monitoring system is installed and can provide an early warning alarm should any evacuation be required for safety issues.
The trials actually confirmed that ridership projections are within the margin expected during the construction of the system. Maybe even a bit over but that's understandable given the nature of the FREE rides relying on curiosity.
On a note: Just to shut the mouth of some "experts", the Metro didn't cause a major blackout in the Capital as dully reported by media and word of mouth. The actual energy used to make the trial runs is below any expectations and projections made before hand.
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PICHARDO, thanks for the synopsis. Here's another clip I just watched an for some reason liked, ..
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o7hQ...eature=related
<object style="display: block;" width="425" height="350"><embed wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6o7hQMHqBAc" width="425" height="350"></object>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o7hQ...eature=related
Where Are The Stations?
Is there a map that shows the stations in relation to the streets? According to Wikipedia it will be closing for at least two weeks as of January 6. I would think there would be an official web site with information but I cannot find it. Per Wikipedia: " On December 22, 2008 the first non-commercial operation of the subway system began as a way to provide free service to the public during the Christmas holiday season. OPRET stated that the subway will be closed on January 6, 2008 for a period of at least two week for final touches and then it will officially open for commercial use."
Is there a map that shows the stations in relation to the streets? According to Wikipedia it will be closing for at least two weeks as of January 6. I would think there would be an official web site with information but I cannot find it. Per Wikipedia: " On December 22, 2008 the first non-commercial operation of the subway system began as a way to provide free service to the public during the Christmas holiday season. OPRET stated that the subway will be closed on January 6, 2008 for a period of at least two week for final touches and then it will officially open for commercial use."
No it didn't. It just stopped :cheeky:
Imagenesdominicanas.com: Metro detenido varias veces ?por apagones?
BS!
All the train sets are equipped with internal batteries capable of moving the trains several stations ahead without live feed from the catenaries above.
The system was being put under tests as it was being offered for "Free" to the public. Energy was cut on several occasions to several spans of the systems, while being monitored live from the control center to test the emergency feedback nodes place at intervals on each line.
Most people didn't even notice that the trains that underwent the tests did in fact engage the emergency batteries as they continued their travel towards the stations ahead. In fact the tests were flawless as projected or better in some situations.
Lights within the stations below ground are 100% on a live duty cycle, which allows for lamps to be operational during any apagon...
So much crap being put out by people that don't know anything, yet their gossips are deemed NEWS with factual veracity...
If you don't get it yet: The rides are being offered to test the Metro's overall systems before being opened commercially. Riders are not expecting anything from a free ride, so any discomforts are just "waved". Had any tests like those now happening be conducted while paying riders took to the trains, the news media would need extra pages to fill the reports...
Several tests were also conducted with the backup generators for the entire system as well.
PICHARDO, we are still waiting for our tour and ride
PICHARDO is in Orlando FL working like a mule to save some nesting eggs, but will make the trek (God willing) to the commercial inauguration of the SD Metro. :cheeky:
When I do, I'll be sure to have you sitting next to me on the train!
The one I'm really looking forward to sit on inauguration day is the one Santiago - SD...
I didn't see your comment on Imagenesdominicanas.com refuting what was being said there, Pichardo. Perhaps it is being held in a moderation queue?
Metro se detendr? el martes y reanudar? fin de semana
Straight from the horses mouth....which might mean deceptions. Just what it all means, who knows. Any train men or women who can brake it down for us.:ermm:
La Rep?blica - Metro se detendr? el martes y reanudar? fin de semana
Straight from the horses mouth....which might mean deceptions. Just what it all means, who knows. Any train men or women who can brake it down for us.:ermm:
La Rep?blica - Metro se detendr? el martes y reanudar? fin de semana
The most extensive information on the Metro (from the day its construction started to today) is in this link:
Metro de Santo Domingo
Its all in Spanish.
My advice is for everyone to put great attention to what the poster Orad and DominicanPotter12 say.
The former is well versed on the construction and operation of the Metro and has connections that supplies him with such information and exclusive entrances to the project for taking pictures; and the latter is one of the conductors of a Metro train; hence is 'in the know' from the inside.
Everyone else posting in that forum seems to go from hearsay or mere speculation.
With the information available in that website, they can publish a book on its construction and operation.
In that website they also cover other topics concerning Dominican urbanization, architecture, construction, and even political/social/economic issues. It has the added advantage of being almost entire composed by Dominicans, hence much of the nonsense that infiltrates Dominican based websites with a majority non-Dominican memberships is effectively absent. Its also a nice mix of people, young and old, rich and not-so-rich, etc.
-NALs
Metro de Santo Domingo
Its all in Spanish.
My advice is for everyone to put great attention to what the poster Orad and DominicanPotter12 say.
The former is well versed on the construction and operation of the Metro and has connections that supplies him with such information and exclusive entrances to the project for taking pictures; and the latter is one of the conductors of a Metro train; hence is 'in the know' from the inside.
Everyone else posting in that forum seems to go from hearsay or mere speculation.
With the information available in that website, they can publish a book on its construction and operation.
In that website they also cover other topics concerning Dominican urbanization, architecture, construction, and even political/social/economic issues. It has the added advantage of being almost entire composed by Dominicans, hence much of the nonsense that infiltrates Dominican based websites with a majority non-Dominican memberships is effectively absent. Its also a nice mix of people, young and old, rich and not-so-rich, etc.
-NALs
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I'm no expert but I know that spat where the train stopped is near the depot/train yard where they store trains as they take them out of service.
Putting two and two together leads me to believe another train may have either been coming out o or going into service at the time, and so some safety switches (agujas) were activated, making the stopped train wait as the other either came out of or into the depot.
As a visual aid, here's some now old pics of the depot, ..
with the last train station before the river crossing on the foreground, ..
http://flickr.com/photos/8143310@N07/
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