Santo Domingo Metro

[Chirimoya]

I would love to see the back of the conchos :dead: but getting rid of them is going to be very difficult. Only a very brave politician would risk the ire of the drivers' unions and the passengers themselves. To placate the public, bus and metro fares would have to be comparable to concho fares. The drivers would demand compensation and are sure to raise hell for losing their livelihoods.

I used to live and work in Caracas where the metro runs like a spine through the centre of the city. You still have to take the more chaotic and popular 'por puestos' (minibuses) from surrounding neighbourhoods down to the nearest metro station. My commute from San Bernardino to Las Mercedes involved a metro ride with one por puesto at each end. I would have never dreamed of driving, and although Caracas has never really cracked its gargantuan traffic congestion problem, it has a wonderful metro used by the carless and car owners alike.

One of the things I dislike most about living in Santo Domingo is that anyone who has a choice (including me) chooses to use the car. I look forward to the day when there is a realistic alternative like an integrated bus-metro system which means I can leave the damn thing at home.

Chiri

 

[Argo]

And about the electricity deal, these metro trains would probably have their own planta generating electricity somewhere just for them. In addition to that, each train car could have some solar panels installed on the roof of the cars to create even more energy for the system.

Do you have any idea how many watts or MW those solar panels would produce on the underground Metro as proposed?

 

[NALs]

Do you have any idea how many watts or MW those solar panels would produce on the underground Metro as proposed?

Don't confuse the word metro with what the word means in the rest of the world.

Example: Metro in rest of the world means a subway system or for those of you Londoners the Tube.

Metro in the DR for now means those comfy coach buses speaking along the highways, but in this thread it is referred to the monorail that has been planned for Santo Domingo since 1996!

They were not planning to do an underground thing, its all "al aire libre".

But to answer your question, solar panels would produce none watts, but since its a monorail type of thing being proposed (and with this Caribbean sun that anybody can cook an egg in minutes out there) a solar panel might produce enough to get it through during a "normal" blackout.

 

[Guatiao]

My 2 Cents

Im being generally optimistic but I hope 10 years from now this thing [name pending] will be built. I will cry of happiness the day I see GuaGuas publicas and carros publicos abolished, they ruin vacations. Even though this thread is about the Metro I want give some input on how to damage the current "transport" system.
Create laws:
1) No old cars aloud [pre-1995] thats about 98.0% of these drivers.
2) Only legal Taxi Services can pick up passengers, example Yellow Cabs in NYC, DR needs a Yellow Cab service/ system.
3) Every car must pass inspections and 4 passenger limit [including driver]
4) Buses can only stop/ pick up on designated posts, I have been scared to death on HighWays as these buses stop randomly in the middle of 100km zone, gotta be stop.
5) Also Companies/ Union Buses can operate, no independant buses.
6) Create a special police force to monitor this problem in every city. Those who dont comply will first get fined, repeat get jail time, and if they repeat again get everything confiscated. Also creation of government office so the government can also win something.

But back to the Metro I hope this government can build something anything to eliminate he traffic problem.

 

[NALs]

I like CampoDominicano's ideas on this, especially #2.

All the authorized taxis should be new VW Beattles! Everybody (including the illiterate and foreign tourist) will be able to distinguish an authentic authorize taxi from the phonies. And it will make it easier for the police to crack down on the non-beattles picking up and dropping off mass numbers of people!

Imagine, the streets of Santo Domingo flooded with new Beattles!

 

[Argo]

Original Post

Don't confuse the word metro with what the word means in the rest of the world.

Example: Metro in rest of the world means a subway system or for those of you Londoners the Tube.

Metro in the DR for now means those comfy coach buses speaking along the highways, but in this thread it is referred to the monorail that has been planned for Santo Domingo since 1996!

They were not planning to do an underground thing, its all "al aire libre".

But to answer your question, solar panels would produce none watts, but since its a monorail type of thing being proposed (and with this Caribbean sun that anybody can cook an egg in minutes out there) a solar panel might produce enough to get it through during a "normal" blackout.

It must be my reading comprehension yet again, but for some reason the original post seemed to indicate an underground system, my mistake yet again :-(

I may have missed something over the last few months, but I only noticed that there were plans to construct an underground transport system for Santo Domingo when people started mentioning the controversial appointment of Diandino Pena to oversee this project.

From the BBC News website
Quote:
Diandino Pena, an ex-public works secretary, is appointed to head a subway construction project.

 

[Lambada]

Yes, I thought that, originally, but everything I've read in Spanish (El Caribe etc) seems to be suggesting that it could be either above or below ground, depending on the feasibility study. If it IS below ground, what use would solar panels be? Unless the "parking" area was in the sun to stock up.

 

[NALs]

It must be my reading comprehension yet again, but for some reason the original post seemed to indicate an underground system, my mistake yet again :-(

I may have missed something over the last few months, but I only noticed that there were plans to construct an underground transport system for Santo Domingo when people started mentioning the controversial appointment of Diandino Pena to oversee this project.

From the BBC News website
Quote:
Diandino Pena, an ex-public works secretary, is appointed to head a subway construction project.

It might be an underground deal, but when this project was first presented to the public (back in 1996), it was a over ground monorail type of thing. Here is the link:

Notice: the project was presented in both English and Spanish, for English click on "English Version" in the upper left corner. Also, notice that the Monorail project was part of the overall Transportation Project that was implemented in the city. The widening of many major roads, the new expressways, and the tunnels found across Santo Domingo, and the new Juan Bosch Bridge are only a part of the overall Transportation Project for the city. The project also included the light rail system to be implemented as well.

http://www.modelistica.com/projects/sto_domingo/sto_domingo_en.html

 

[Argo]

It might be an underground deal, but when this project was first presented to the public (back in 1996), it was a over ground monorail type of thing. Here is the link:

Notice: the project was presented in both English and Spanish, for English click on "English Version" in the upper left corner. Also, notice that the Monorail project was part of the overall Transportation Project that was implemented in the city. The widening of many major roads, the new expressways, and the tunnels found across Santo Domingo, and the new Juan Bosch Bridge are only a part of the overall Transportation Project for the city. The project also included the light rail system to be implemented as well.

http://www.modelistica.com/projects/sto_domingo/sto_domingo_en.html

I am sure there are dozens or "proposals, ideas etc" I thought I would be silly and stick to the question posed by the original poster, stupid me :-( thinking I could gather his intent from what he wrote rather than what everyone else surmised and concluded

 

[bochinche]

HB: Please let's not start with that phrase again...I really hate it (cause it came from the PRD).

Anyhow, I think this is very stupid idea and it's just something designed to give this guy (Diandino) another chance to steal. Everyone knows this guy is corrupt. Where is The DR going to get the money for this? We're talking about 35 million USD per kilometer (that's the current estimate. I'm sure that the actual cost would be about twice that much). Brazil is not just going to give money for this...they may "lend it", as long as the companies contracted to do the work are from Brazil. In addition the fare will have to be subsidized, thus creating another huge amount of money the government will have to disburse on a regular basis (more taxes).
How about electricity? Won't they need to have it 24/7 for this to work?
The only way I would support this is if it was financed and operated completely by the private sector.
Not going to happen...

suarezn is 100% right.
the pld are famous for ploys like this.....you can be sure that when this dies down, they will start again about the rail link between the capital and santiago......and somebody will make a few bucks with their 'feasibility studies', etc.
it is not going to happen.

getting rid of the old cars, etc......is another thing. the pld will certainly do a better job at that - amet and omsa are both pld inventions, impressive when they first arrived....pitiful these days.
they will definitely do a better job improving traffic than the pph ever would/did(/will - god forbid).

how that will help the poor odd-bod in the campo? - i just don't know.

 

[HOWMAR]

Don't confuse the word metro with what the word means in the rest of the world.

Example: Metro in rest of the world means a subway system or for those of you Londoners the Tube.

Metro in the DR for now means those comfy coach buses speaking along the highways, but in this thread it is referred to the monorail that has been planned for Santo Domingo since 1996!

They were not planning to do an underground thing, its all "al aire libre".

But to answer your question, solar panels would produce none watts, but since its a monorail type of thing being proposed (and with this Caribbean sun that anybody can cook an egg in minutes out there) a solar panel might produce enough to get it through during a "normal" blackout.

If you think you can run a train on solar panels during a blackout (even during daylight), then you probably think we can land a space ship on the sun at night when it's not so hot.

 

[NALs]

If you think you can run a train on solar panels during a blackout (even during daylight), then you probably think we can land a space ship on the sun at night when it's not so hot.

Oops, silly me. I was thinking that solar panels energy would ease up the gas guzzling plantas during a blackout! Again, silly me.

Its always better to supplement electricity during a blackout with a gas guzzling planta than trying to ease up the dependence on a planta by using other forms of cleaner energy.

Again, silly me!

 

[HOWMAR]

Oops, silly me. I was thinking that solar panels energy would ease up the gas guzzling plantas during a blackout! Again, silly me.

Its always better to supplement electricity during a blackout with a gas guzzling planta than trying to ease up the dependence on a planta by using other forms of cleaner energy.

Again, silly me!

Being serious. There is no solar panel technologie available today which allows a panel system to be able to produce enough electric and still be light enough to be on a vehicle. Otherwise we would have solar powered cars.

 

[NALs]

Being serious. There is no solar panel technologie available today which allows a panel system to be able to produce enough electric and still be light enough to be on a vehicle. Otherwise we would have solar powered cars.

Actually, there is. The only problem is that its a bit expensive!

Then again, the DR is a country that doesn't think much about throwing $200 million to build an ugly monument to Columbus (ie. the Faro) during a time of crisis in 1992, based on that fact, I don't see why the DR won't pay millions into something that will bring economic benefit to the owner of such transport project who most likely will be the government unless the IMF forces them to sell it off, which might not be a bad thing either.

Also, maybe I wasn't very clear about this, but I did not try to imply that the trains be run on Solar panels alone! Oh no, they should be run on electricity and once a blackout hits, the plantas jointly with the solar panels should produce combined energy to move the trains. The point is so that there can be a savings in petroleum use since the plantas won't have to work as hard!

Let's just leave it at that. I know that whatever trains will be implemented won't have any solar panels on them, simply because the Dominican government always invest into something they have to put more money in over the long run than into something that will saves them money, thus we have a bankrupted government!

Its like with personal finances. Some people are always broke not because they don't make enough money, but because they make dumb choices. They buy cheap thinking its going to save them money, but since cheap stuff are not always good, they need to replace it constanly or fix it, in the long run consting much much more than if they were to buy a much more expensive item made from the finest materials available! Why buy tupperware month after month when you can buy a set of vaccum storage systems one time and not have to deal with it again in terms of buying it, right!

 

[Guatiao]

Getting a little of topic, but what would be better for the Dominican Republic than a train of course light and electricity. I was researching what is the DRs main power source and it mostly depends mostly on Oil [fossil fuel].
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 92%
hydro: 7.6%
other: 0.4% (2001)
nuclear: 0% From CIA- The World Fact Book

Now instead of investing Billions of pesos into a train system that would not yeild much money, considering the average wage, it should invest in solar plants [perfect location; Caribbean Sun], Wind Power [location: Cabarete, Puerto Plata, North Coast] excellent wind conditions all year round, and last but not least build the 200 Hydrodams the government keeps promising.
The DR could be a pioneer in "pure" energy source technology, After all how much did it take for the US to discover Nuclear Power, look at all the benefits.
Back to topic after there is definite power in DR than there should be multiple trains not just one, there should be trains to ease travel from Capital to Santiago, Puerto Plata, a train for tourists to explore the countryside and other locations not just the north coast. Also with a train system the DR might get better reviews on roads as our country is labeled "Hazardous", whats a little driving on the wrong side of the road, the brits do it.

 

[CG4522]

It has been a few years since I have lived in the DR, but I don't know the heck they are thinking building a subway. Actually I do, and it doesn't surprise me, considering the underground tunnel Leonel built on the 27. Not that Hipolito did any better, pretty much all Dominican Politicians are corrupt, like every government worker there. Perhaps if voters were more educated than to vote for whoever had the best tune real reform might happen.

The power situtation is just crazy, when I tell stories of the years I lived in the DR to my fellow Americans they just can't believe some of what goes on. And yes I did live with the poor people in places like Las Palmas de Herrera, and yes everybody in the barrio except us stole power, but even when we did pay EdeSur forced us to pay double some months.

I don't know what the logic behind building fancy subways when you have people that don't even have basic sewage services. If you can't run pipes well enough to drain the waste water or even bring clean potable water to the rich, why should you make tunnels underground for transportation?

If it is an environmental issue, Dominicans need to first worry about getting the publicos off the road that don't even have a muffler, or stop the environmental damage that the poor are forced to inflict on the natural habitat.

That said however, I fully recognize my own country's history of involvement in your nation and the effect it has had of helping the richest among you keep their BMW's and Audi's, heck if you are reading this and live down there there is a good chance you are one of them. What does surprise me is that even after the US has took control of your country 3 times in the past century and supported a horrible dictator, you still like Americanos. Well at least you did when you weren't drunk in a Colmado, but that might just because you were too scared otherwise because you thought I might have been in the CIA or something.

That always cracked me up, when I was walking around some ghetto people thought that whatever they were doing was somehow important enough for the US to send some gringo to check up on it, when we have pretty much whatever we want out of your country anyways. It's not like you are going to join Fidel any time soon.

 

[George Holmes]

Is it just me, or does anyone else remember the classic Simpsons episode where the corrupt outside contractor builds a solar power monorail.....?

I seem to remember the episode featuring a solar eclipse.

Anyway, the proposed metro will cost $80 per ride, compared to $10 for a publico. How many people is that going to affect?

With regards to comments about publicos being "undignified" - how many of you have travelled on the London tube during rush hour. I find publicos to be far more comfy and dignified.

 

[Texas Bill]

Well, the latest episode in this "Metro" fiasco is that "SOME" of the recent US$170 Million from Verizon would go toward financing the"Metro". No mention of how much, just "SOME" with the rest going to the various "Social Services" like Education and Health Care.
Wanna bet that the "SOME" mentioned is close to 90% of the US$170 Million?

This "Metro" is nothing but Leonel's arrogant "Look what I've given to the Dominican People". No matter that it's for Santo Domingo Exclusively!!

Texas Bill

 

[aegap]

its Leonel's Farro a Colon. ..lets hope it ends up having a more practical use.

 

[vince1956]

Seven billion more for Metro

Santo Domingo.- The Senate approved seven loan agreements for a sum exceeding RD$7 billion in one reading yesterday. This will be spent on funding the Transport Re-organization Office (OPRET) and several international companies for the installation of several electro-mechanical subsystems in Line I of the Santo Domingo Metro. More on http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=21064