President Luis Abinader announced the start of construction of the Santo Domingo Metropolitan Train. In his speech at the Business Future of the Americas Conference, the President told American Chamber of Commerce delegates from the Americas that the train will cross the Ozama River and the line will finish at the Las Americas International Airport.
Taxi fares to Las Americas today are around RD$1,300-RD$1,500. Infrastructure expert, Bill Lockward considers that people will be willing to pay many times more than the RD$25 metro fares to get to the airport, making the new line a profitable venture for a public-private partnership. There is also an abundance of developable real estate on the way. The ITLA University and Multimodal Port of Caucedo will also be connected.
President Abinader said a public bidding will be held in July for the line that will run from Av. John F. Kennedy with Máximo Gómez station on to the Charles de Gaulle station in eastern Santo Domingo. From there, a connection will be built to Las Americas International Airport.
Abinader said the stretch will be the first stage of the National Railway System. He said construction work should begin in the first quarter of 2024.
Abinader spoke at the Business Future of the Americas conference, the mid-year meeting of the American Chambers of Commerce from across the region. The meeting focused on issues that will influence the commercial and economic development of Latin America and the Caribbean.
President Abinader shared his vision of fully connecting the country. “We want to connect all the poles of the country and create new ones. We are creating a new geography of opportunities for all Dominicans,” he said. He mentioned the new tourist destinations in southwestern Pedernales and eastern Miches. Also the efforts to turn central Santiago into a modern metropolis and bring it but half an hour away from the Bergantín tourism and cinematography development in Puerto Plata or the industrial, logistics and energy development in western Manzanillo in Montecristi province.
In his remarks, President Abinader highlighted that Foreign Direct Investment increased by more than 25.5% over the previous year, reaching an unprecedented figure in the Dominican Republic of more than US$4 billion in 2022.
“And it should also be noted that the United States of America is, as of today, our main partner in terms of Foreign Direct Investment, with US$8.46 billion from 2010 to June 2022,” said the President.
President Abinader described the meeting as an opportunity to establish contacts and strengthen ties with public and private leadership throughout the hemisphere. “It is a space where we can talk about regional value chains and their contribution to international trade and the opportunities created by betting on better connectivity between our countries. Generating value to build regional well-being,” said the President.
He stressed that the American Chamber of Commerce has served to promote investment based on access to knowledge, opportunities and a culture of best practices for the socioeconomic and professional development of all its members in the Dominican Republic and throughout the region.
He described his administration as “pro-business and pro-development,” to the effusive applause of those attending.
During the event, the regional business representatives discussed nearshoring, the rule of the law and electricity issues.
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Bill Lockward
15 June 2023