Santo Domingo Metro - Page 15

PICHARDO · #**141** 12-31-2007, 02:00 PM

There is a team of people already since several months ago in actual training of the systems, but for the first few years of Metro operations some head honchos will be foreigners with the expertise to deal with any problem or emergencies out of the ordinary for the system.

Train maintenance crews, electricians, etc... All are being trained as we speak both by Alstom and Thales in Spain, France and Canada. Some security personnel already are getting trained underway to have total control of security of the Metro system and infrastructures. Think like the ex- MTA Police of the NYC Subway.

The fare collections system being implemented by Thales is by far the most advanced in the world, as only the Barcelona Train system has adopted the full options as the DR's Metro has. The system is capable of handling full security protocols with face recognition of riders in all stations (an add-on module later to be introduced to the SD Metro). The System can auto supervise itself and put in place emergency protocols if need be in the case of a major disruption or event, like a killer earthquake or catastrophic flooding of the tunnels.

If anything can be said, the train model and systems to be used are top of the line and so new that actually very few Metro systems in the world can be said to compare in technological advances applied to their own systems, even in Japan with their bullet trains or NYC well renowned Subway.

I find it a little sad that most people think that buying more buses or cars would make a bigger difference than a true form of mass transit as a Metro system can offer to be.
The addition of lines 2 and 3 will make this Metro a priority for the rapidly vertical growth experienced by the new 20 plus stories high-rises popping up every day in the DN. Density is a City killer if not planned for...

PICHARDO · #**142** 12-31-2007, 02:25 PM

The electrical infrastructure is mostly in place save for the installation of the back-up power rooms, that are still being pieced together by the hired company.
Catenaries and rails are already in place in all the tunnels, some of the low voltage systems are not yet finished unlike the high voltage ones.
The work on the steel bridge is going so fast since the last piece was installed that it seems to be the most likely candidate to be finished for the time provided as the trail date.
Some stations are being allowed to fall back as they are single level and can be done with in weeks unlike the multi floor ones.
The power system will be 100% self supplied with an alternate always on hook-up to the national grid with direct feed from the north generating power plants. So if the service from the grid pulsates the self contained power kicks in without delays but as natural as if it never happened.

Think of it like the way your inversor works, just bigger, much bigger!

The data systems all run on fiber optic cables as well as communications. The same goes for redundancy systems for all the tunnels in special.

So far the gov will wait for Indotel to negotiate with local Telcos, Cell and Wifi providers on the issue of number portability to make a bidding contract for one or two companies to wire the tunnels for both services, including broadband services for internet connectivity.

The DR's Metro will be far out more advanced than many in well developed countries... Surprise, surprise!

There's ample opportunity for marketing, ad sales, etc... To offset the costs of operation and maintenance of the system. Too many to list...

The DR will have all information and public announcements in the Metro multilingual, so a lot of people here in DR1 will have a chance to make some money out of the jobs to be offered there as well.

The Metro purchase was in addition to new buses that will be deployed with the Thales systems in place to make full connections to other transit hubs in the city as well. All buses are top of the line regarding their electronics and ease of use for handicapped people. A priority of the Fernandez plan is to have all the public transportation in service on the DR be accessible 100% to Handicapped or disabled commuters. The private sector will be allowed to linger for some time longer before they too are required to do so as well.

All bathrooms, facilities, access points, etc... Were designed with that prime directive in mind.

So far I know that some 30 or fewer Buses will be coming and operational with the train start of operations date in the DR, with more to be added as they are tested and approved for wide use in the city.

PICHARDO · #**143** 12-31-2007, 04:16 PM

Geological studies are being done on lines 2 and 3 already...
I guess to save the headache of having to explain that it was an on the go thingy from the start... LOL!!!
To those that still keep like parrots repeating that it would had made a big difference if the studies were made before hand: As proven by any tunnel construction around the world, all the study finds are off to the toilet once the first few hundred feet are excavated...

All that money was saved and put to good concrete use, rather than on somebody's pocket for a change...

Studies were made only for the surface part of the Metro as required for the building of the support columns and nothing else matters...

So many distractors and nay sayers... Yet here the Metro comes to life just about and the distractors are either accepting their moot points were just that moot... Or as in the case of some, just using the hide and seek phenomenon...

But sensible debate is always good for any project as big as this, so even those that became the worst enemies of the Metro, in reality did help the program by keeping the politicians in tip-toes about spending the money without care that they could be investigated and prosecuted...

The only thing I didn't agreed to the Metro's initial plan was the starting point from N to S, instead of the most traffic projection of E to W. But as I later found out, the kingpin of the lines to be built later is line 1. I guess due to the public attacks from left to right, coming out saying that the line 1 was only the linkage point for the other two even bigger lines was political suicide!!!

The line that will link the DN to the AILAS is going to be even better and faster, with a possible further linkage for private investment to the eastern point of the country and the major coastal links.

Line 1 will also be extended later to use heavy rail to connect Metro SD to Metro Santiago...

Big plans, bigger money!!!

Get ready for taxes just like the developed world soon to come to a Dominican near you...

The SD Metro is just a small window into the Master Plan to link all major cities of the DR via rapid mass transit and end the rusting tin cans that today travel along the highways...

The second plan is already underway without much fanfare or better put, notice and awe to the public as the Metro: All cities in the DR will be linked by international airports with world class helipads to service the entire national territory in minutes.

Car travel will be a thing of the past for inter-city commuting in the DR. All the woes that affect other developed nations are being cut aside and 21st century mobility adopted in mass. Just don't blink or you'll miss the next airport to appear out of the nada next to your driveway!!!

And lucky me that I was born in this little speck of dirt in the middle of the Caribbean...
With Metro service nation-wide, and with international airports in every single city of the country... LOL!!!

Like I said to C Colon: I love to use wonder woman's invisible airplane from time to time and cut some traffic along the way... LOL!!!

PICHARDO · #**144** 12-31-2007, 04:31 PM

What were this Dominicans thinking!!!

PICHARDO · #**145** 01-04-2008, 02:24 PM

‘All ’board’ as subway cars arrive in Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO.- The three train cars which arrived in the country to be used in the Santo Domingo Metro are of the latest generation in that type of transport used in Europe and more advanced than those used in Latin America, said Miguel Pedini, project manager of ALSTOM, the company contracted to build the rapid transit system slated to begin in February in the capital with 19, three-car trains.

"This is the most modern model we have made, this is the same train which is being used today in Barcelona, the last line of Barcelona is identical to this," he said while showing the cars at East Haina port.

Pedini said the 30-ton, steel and aluminum cars have global capacity of more than 200 seated passengers, a closed circuit camera system and the latest traction and braking system technology. "It has a system of crowns with bearings which is the most advanced we have in production. We have inner video-vigilance televisón cameras to control the station, the boarding and deboarding of people, by closed circuit to see that there aren’t security problems, of vandalism, theft or internal interferences."

http://www2.dominicantoday.com/dr/lo...nican-Republic

Kat1144 · #**146** 01-04-2008, 04:55 PM

I'm excited to see how the Metro will work out.. Thanks Pichardo for all the info.

PICHARDO · #**147** 01-06-2008, 06:14 PM

Villa Mella Station already open!!! LOL!!!!!
This pic cracks me up!!!!!

PICHARDO · #**148** 01-06-2008, 06:18 PM

CarpeDReam · #**149** 01-06-2008, 11:10 PM

It's funny how when this thread started (and the Metro), so many people commented and laughed at the idea...some said it wont be finished....now that it's almost done there's hardly any talk...

London_Calling · #**150** 01-07-2008, 06:27 AM

One thing is to finish it - the next problem will be to run it!

I would still say for a city like Santo Domingo an urban bus system similar to that found in Bogata (Transmilenio) would have been a better and more cost effective option.