Monorail coming for Santo Domingo and Santiago

[CristoRey]

Here's a great article that explains why monorails suck in urban environments:

Why cities rarely build monorails, explained

Monorails are cool! Wowee! Whiz-bang! So why don't cities build more of them? It turns out that compared to normal rail, monorails have some legitimate downsides that make them an impractical option for most (but not all) transit corridors.

ggwash.org

I speak from personal experience.

 

[Lobo Tropical]

Not trying to go off-topic but while living in Thailand
I used their (BTS) monorail/ sky train system
every time I visited Bangkok. Super clean, cheap,
fast and very efficient especially during rush hour.
I would love to have the same option where I live
in Santiago.

And Canadian Bombardier would be the choice to build the DR city skytrains, as they have international projects around the globe.
As well as light rail from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana, Santiago and Puerto Plata.
The whole country would be connected pollution and accidents reduced.
The small size of the DR make it feasible.

https://rail.bombardier.com/en/solutions-and-technologies/worldwide-projects.html

About Bombardier
With nearly 60,000 employees across two business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.
Headquartered in Montréal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in over 25 countries across the segments of Aviation and Transportation. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, Bombardier posted revenues of $15.8 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

About Bombardier - Board, Management and History

As the world’s leading manufacturer of both planes and trains, we are shaping the future of mobility.

www.bombardier.com

 

[Joseph NY2STI]

Here's a great article that explains why monorails suck in urban environments:

Why cities rarely build monorails, explained

Monorails are cool! Wowee! Whiz-bang! So why don't cities build more of them? It turns out that compared to normal rail, monorails have some legitimate downsides that make them an impractical option for most (but not all) transit corridors.

ggwash.org

Interesting article, especially the part about the switches. Abinader seems like a pretty bright guy who does his homework, so it begs the question of why he would consider it. It will be interesting to hear the pros and cons as they move forward.

 

[user123]

I took that road once. No need to repeat that experience.

That one and one to Constanza 🤢🤮

 

[Celt202]

100% agreed.
Metro runs a monorail north of Cristo Rey to Villa Mella. Used it many times without any problem.

That's a teleferico (cable car). I haven't been on it yet but it 's a great way of moving people across heavily congested areas with minimal impact. Efficient but less sturdy than a monorail IMO.

It has

 

[CristoRey]

That's a teleferico (cable car). I haven't been on it yet but it 's a great way of moving people across heavily congested areas with minimal impact. Efficient but less sturdy than a monorail IMO.

It has

Its really an above ground train on a lifted platform.

 

[Celt202]

Its really an above ground train on a lifted platform.
View attachment 3288
View attachment 3289

Oh; the Metro. 😐 That's a two track train not a monorail.

 

[chico bill]

Monorails are expensive only when they are constructed at ground level, or below ground. Not above ground.
Above ground, monorails are a more affordable option than normal trains.
When putting into consideration the limited space, and mass populations of Santo Domingo and Santiago, the above ground monorail is the most logical, and fiscally responsible option for modernized public transportation.

They are more sexy, and are not less expensive, as Right of Way is about the same, and the old fashion duorail beds are quicker and way cheaper than thousands of columns and beams for a straddle-rail system. I am sure a suspended system is not being proposed.
Also you can not use crossover track switching, meaning you need two for two way traffic or it is a one way loop.
Plus they can't carry the freight loads.
Yeah monorails got popular and maglev monorails are super sexy but require high tech maintenance.
Syndey, Australia abandoned their monorail for poor service record after about 20 years.
they have one advantage in that they eliminate cross traffic conflicts but that could be done on duorail bridges

I applaud anything that could de-congest Santo Domingo and Santiago - since those cities are choking.

In any even I suspect most of the posters here will not be alive to see it come to fruition, but it's nice to have dreams.

 

[windeguy]

Here's a great article that explains why monorails suck in urban environments:

Why cities rarely build monorails, explained

Monorails are cool! Wowee! Whiz-bang! So why don't cities build more of them? It turns out that compared to normal rail, monorails have some legitimate downsides that make them an impractical option for most (but not all) transit corridors.

ggwash.org

So the DR cities would be the 1%ers.

 

[NALs]

Interesting article, especially the part about the switches. Abinader seems like a pretty bright guy who does his homework, so it begs the question of why he would consider it. It will be interesting to hear the pros and cons as they move forward.

Its considered cheaper to build. That's it.

 

[Garyexpat]

That one and one to Constanza 🤢🤮

Maybe it's me but I like both of them and also the drive from Sabaneta to Moca. The only big mistake I made was taking the dirt road from Constanza to Padre las Casas.I should have done my home work to understand it was 4 + hours of very rough, sometimes 4X4 passage and that my Avalanche was too big a vehicle. It also would have been nice it we didn't break down about 1 1/2 hours out side of Constanza.

 

[tempo]

I heard about that but the fact is I really enjoy the mountain touristica road. I never get tired of the great vistas but damn when you are off the new part it really sucks, even in an SUV.

I agree. I do that road often and thanks to the perennial work in progress, it is such a pain in the neck (even in a SUV, as you say). but it is also true that the terrain is treacherous, with frequent earth movements and so I presume it is hard to stabilize it but then I do not know anything of civil engineering.

 

[tempo]

Continue reading...

What I am wondering, in case of a monorail (or whatever transit system), what will happen to all those that drive the shared taxicabs. In Santiago, there are a whole bunch of families that depend on that to eke out a living. It is nice to have a less clogged traffic system, but it is important to think of those who may be the losers....

 

[Yourmaninvegas]

Maglev - leapfrog into the future ‼
Think different for progress.

Maglev trains: why aren't we gliding home on hovering carriages?

It is lightning quick, clean, green – and expensive. But shouldn’t we think again about magnetic levitation?

www.theguardian.com

 

[NALs]

What I am wondering, in case of a monorail (or whatever transit system), what will happen to all those that drive the shared taxicabs. In Santiago, there are a whole bunch of families that depend on that to eke out a living. It is nice to have a less clogged traffic system, but it is important to think of those who may be the losers....

The same that happened to bread winners in construction before they were displaced by cheaper construction immigrants. There's a reason why so much of construction in the DR depends on immigrants. Constructors say they can't find enough Dominicans to do the work. In the mean time, those Dominicans that did construction before they were displaced either focus on other things in the DR or went abroad and continue construction there (in the Caribbean its quite common to contract Dominican workers in construction, quite a paradox since not too long ago Dominican construction workers outside the DR was a rarity). In this case it is a money issue, because as many constructors defend themselves by claiming that they don't pay less to immigrant construction workers, in general wages for construction workers haven't risen in decades. Hmm, wonder why... Has inflation frozen during that time? Many people consider the residential apartment business to be un negociazo, with many highrise residential projects producing a whopping 60% of extra money for the owners that built it in the first place. Its basically a gold mine. You get to keep more money produced compared to many other places or if the widespread immigration displacement didn't took place.

 

[Joseph NY2STI]

Its considered cheaper to build. That's it.

I get that part, but the articles imply that in many cases they either don't produce enough revenue or are more expensive to maintain. If the latter two scenarios are correct, then there go the initial savings. Although way too early to tell, Abinader seems like a long range thinker. If previous administrations were proposing this, the question might be about who's brother-in-law is getting the contract.

 

[Lobo Tropical]

Oh; the Metro. 😐 That's a two track train not a monorail.

The two track system is the way to go proven around the world, not a monorail system.

 

[Africaida]

Whether it s 2 tracks (which I tend to prefer) or one track, modernisation of transportation is a necessary step for a country to move forward.

 

[NanSanPedro]

Whether it s 2 tracks (which I tend to prefer) or one track, modernisation of transportation is a necessary step for a country to move forward.

OK, I have to ask, why do you prefer 2 tracks?

 

[tempo]

The same that happened to bread winners in construction before they were displaced by cheaper construction immigrants. There's a reason why so much of construction in the DR depends on immigrants. Constructors say they can't find enough Dominicans to do the work. In the mean time, those Dominicans that did construction before they were displaced either focus on other things in the DR or went abroad and continue construction there (in the Caribbean its quite common to contract Dominican workers in construction, quite a paradox since not too long ago Dominican construction workers outside the DR was a rarity). In this case it is a money issue, because as many constructors defend themselves by claiming that they don't pay less to immigrant construction workers, in general wages for construction workers haven't risen in decades. Hmm, wonder why... Has inflation frozen during that time? Many people consider the residential apartment business to be un negociazo, with many highrise residential projects producing a whopping 60% of extra money for the owners that built it in the first place. Its basically a gold mine. You get to kerp more money produced compared to many other places or if the widespread immigration displacement didn't took place.

What you are describing is unfortunately happening all over the world, using what the Economists call exploiting the "labor arbitrage". The soft labor in the US is outsourced to India, manufacturing happens in China and the hard labor (especially agricultural work) to the central Americans/mexicans and people wonder why so many immigrants. But this only exacerbates the economic problem, income equity rises and does not solve the structural problem. Dominicans can go else where but where would the High school only US labor migrate to? This was not addressed by neither of the two parties in my country.
A plan to modernize at the expense of the local populace in the DR will create the same problem of Nativism, the US is facing today, somewhat down the road. It is not a good sign.