The inauguration of the second line of the Santo Domingo Metro has changed the way that residents of the east bank of the Ozama River get to work. Long streams of pedestrians can now be seen coming in from Los Tres Brazos and Los Mina and over the Francisco del Rosario Sanchez Bridge (La 17). From there they get on the Metro L2 trains and get to their places of work. Areas including Guachupita, Gualey, Los Gandules, Espaillat, 27 de Febrero, Maria Auxiliadora, Villa Maria, Luperon, Villa Consuelo, Villa Juana, as well as the areas along Padre Castellano, V Centenario, John F. Kennedy avenues and Duarte highway, have seen a revolution in public transportation.
One result of this new mass transit system is that the private unions that used to transport these passengers are complaining that some 5,000 bus and public car drivers are out of work, and threatening to strike unless the government grants them the right to operate the feeder lines for the Metro.
In other news, Listin Diario reports that the Metro has announced that it will begin opening earlier to enable students and workers to arrive on time. The Metro will begin operations at 6am and close operations at 10:30pm Mondays through Fridays. On the weekends and holidays they will stop running half an hour earlier.