Metropolitan Transit Authority (AMET) Director Hamlet Hermann told the news daily El Siglo yesterday that, all impressions to the contrary given in recent weeks, the tramway project for Santo Domingo is by no means a sure thing. He revealed that AMET originally opposed the proposal, and that he retains serious doubts about its possibilities to become profitable. He said that the original feasibility study was only done because France, which financed the study, has been pushing the idea for years and insisted that a study be done. He pointed out that even the study suggests that in order for the project to cover costs it would require about 12,000 passengers moved per hour, and that this is not projected to occur until the year 2005, implying some five years of deficits. He questioned the need for the tram project, saying that AMET’s current efforts to establish reliable and efficient bus service may preclude the need for it.
