Santo Domingo Metro

[PICHARDO]

The problem with Buses is that they all have got to use the same already congested streets of the City and density is not giving up but in fact, the current burst in tall structures over 20 and 30 stories high is going to add even more strain to the problem.

Buses have been proven to be just as part of the problem where density plays a major role over traffic in the cities that employ such fleets. Why are they used so much? Well the things is that it's counter-productive and outright expensive to lay rail to a city already built and with major arteries that seldom could be closed for major constructions without affecting the economy for a long term...

The DR has used the urban bus system ever since I can remember, they end up as piles of junk soon after. Some because of the major headache of having a coastal city and others because of the conditions on most streets makes their maintenance a nightmare to accomplish.

The Metro won't face the same problems as the Bus systems at all.

To run the Metro is much easier than it sounds with systems like NYC or the Paris Underground. Just remember that the SD Metro is total top of the line rail technology based on a system that was originally to be run via a control room from a main station VS a motor man and conductors.

The lack of pre-existing obsolete rail gear/design makes the SD Metro a system 100% more effective than even the one for which the Metropolis was designed for in Spain.
The SD Metro is being deployed with full electronic based systems, instead of the electromechanical junctures that are common place in almost all metro rails in other big cities. The SD Metro employs Fiber optics for main communications and full computer linkage to the Rail system unlike the Barcelona Metro rail and most others rail systems.

The system installed in the SD Metro is fully capable of running 100% by AI with little to none human interference at all. Given the amount of people that uses this kind of systems, prudence always calls to employ human hands to provide a "sensory" feedback that AI are not capable of like we humans do, yet...

The system is smart enough to provide auto maintenance request via on-line journals to the control unit with units capable of taking themselves out of service if any critical system becomes "Compromised".

No if or buts here... The SD Metro will be one of the most technologically advanced light rail systems in use by any Latin-American country.... And then some...

Like I said before, Line 1 is ONLY the linkage for Lines 2 and 3; so expect to see even more development of the mass transit via rail in the DR year after year...

A proposed commercial cargo rail is also being studied to link all Industrial zones within major cities to the ports and airports of the DR....

A commuter air taxi serviced by Helicopters and small to medium sized AC is also in the planning and construction stages as of now...

The Purchase of the Super Tucanos to Brazil was on plan to use as deterrents against any plot to use Small and medium AC that will be common place all over the DR's skies. The Planes are costlier then the ones purchased by Colombia, because one of the requirements of the order was that they be specifically able to target at long range using on board targeting radar to employ Aim-9s or Python missiles to down AC with safety (auto destruct below a certain altitude in fall trajectory) over any major city.

[Chirimoya]

Originally Posted by CarpeDReam

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...

Because we've made all the arguments against it - and it still remains to be seen whether it will be workable.

[PICHARDO]

Being that the new buses with the Thales computerized systems will be deployed to link the rail to other parts of the city, the price for using the Metro will be on par to that of any mass surface mass transit already employed in SD...

The system will be able to create further income via ads and rental space in all stations for commercial use...

That it's going to be workable is beyond the questioning already, the Metro is here and will operate within months!

What nobody yet knows about is that the DR is currently entertaining offers to build Metro lines by privateers that want to invest in the ever growing potential of the DR's market. They include both passenger and cargo service, along one or two offers to link major coastal points to the city as well.

The city of Santiago is also under consideration by privateers to build a rail system there, that's one of the reasons why the shortly lived "trolley" was discarded for a more Metro like system city-wide...

The hottest real estate soon to jump in price is going to be the Samana region and Barahona... Many things are being panned for those two areas with multi-billion Pesos investments...

The centrical Santiago will be kept as it is pretty much, but major growth will start on the city skirts to accommodate the ever growing population. The plans so far are to create communities with walking distance malls just like Miami.

Santiago will son enjoy the first 30+ floor structure there too! Density is being looked for within the outer band along Duarte and Sadhala areas.

A new underground natural Gas supply network is also under work by the planning office of the DR... LP gas is going to be replaced by Natural Gas for home services.

A new nation wide early warning system is being put together for the DR agencies to warn the public of possible major natural disasters and hazards.

A new linkage network to allow on line school to be imparted to remote areas of the DR with fewer teachers needed to provide quality education to public students is being planned right now. The Gov is planning to use basic laptops to be assigned by the Education Department to students for the school year on loan. This will save the Gov. major funds on structures and maintenance along with staff...

Students will only be required to attend in person for tests to be imparted in soon to be build examining halls in major communities. Also an electronic on-line library will have all the required text and material for the students, rendering buying expensive books by families obsolete. The Gov. will buy the electronic licenses for the text and materials only, providing access to the students only in the system.

The laptops will be tamper and theft proof, as they will have non-marketable parts that can be used on any other laptop; also the units will have a hardware traceable much like the low jack of cars to trace any unit as soon as it connects anywhere, just like cell phones report to the closest cell towers, etc...

The whole idea is to have parents engage in the education of their children unlike before and today. Parents will get basic training and PTA type orgs will be used to keep them apprised of the curriculum of the children.

The DR will introduce English, French, German, and a soon to be considered extra idiom as basics into the curriculum of the education of the children in the DR.

Many things will change for the better in the DR, that's why education funds are not being raised because the emphasis is to bring the plans to fruition sooner rather than later.

Students will enjoy free passes for all Buses and Metro services nation wide...

[Jon S.]

This should be interesting......back in Miami, I work for the County's Procurement Department and we purchase all the Transit vehicles in the county, including the rail. All this time I've been reading on the SD Metro, I assumed it would be a heavy rail system, boy was I mistaken. This is a light-rail project with a heavy rail infrastructure. Lord knows how this one will turn out. Hope they get their copper based welding material from a good supplier, lol....

P.S: To Afro-man en el palacio....Please finish fixing the Maximo Gomez north of JFK Avenue, the "street crud" near the cemetery damn near ate my car for lunch!

[Mr. Lu]

Wait, Jon S. can you explain that small detail about a light rail project with a heavy rail infrastructure. How does that affect the Metro? How are other Metro projects done? I'd be interested in the details. Thanks.

[PICHARDO]

Originally Posted by Jon S.

This should be interesting......back in Miami, I work for the County's Procurement Department and we purchase all the Transit vehicles in the county, including the rail. All this time I've been reading on the SD Metro, I assumed it would be a heavy rail system, boy was I mistaken. This is a light-rail project with a heavy rail infrastructure. Lord knows how this one will turn out. Hope they get their copper based welding material from a good supplier, lol....

P.S: To Afro-man en el palacio....Please finish fixing the Maximo Gomez north of JFK Avenue, the "street crud" near the cemetery damn near ate my car for lunch!

You assessment on the light rail over a heavy rail is outstandingly right! You're by far the first person in the DR that has noticed it!!!

Since you noticed it, I guess you know why it was intended as such right?

The copper based welding material is being supplied by the same supplier to the Barcelona Metro systems. And to add to it, a Japanese specialist on structural integrity proofing to the well known Dominican seismic waves was hired along the many imported advisers and overseers of the project...

[Jon S.]

I bet the supplier is ERICO, since they supply the exothermic material for damn near everyone else! If they ever go Bombardier for their railcars, the infrastructure would suit them just fine. It's probably standard-gauge anyhow.

[PICHARDO]

They contacted Bombardier, but to the best of my knowledge they didn't take part on the actual contract process of the Metro, mainly because the loan was punted to be spent mostly with suppliers in the EU...

I don't know about ERICO but the name of a lot of the welding materials is CADWELD...

[PICHARDO]

Jon S. I take it you're very familiar with rail systems?
What's your overall opinion on the infrastructure that was designed for the SD Metro from personal experience??

[Jon S.]

Originally Posted by Mr. Lu

Wait, Jon S. can you explain that small detail about a light rail project with a heavy rail infrastructure. How does that affect the Metro? How are other Metro projects done? I'd be interested in the details. Thanks.

I'm not the most knowledgeable person on this topic, but basically, light-rail is usually above-ground, parallel to major roads or on the outskirts of cities, connecting one point to another, e.g., MAX in Portland, Oregon, the Green Line of Boston's MBTA, etc.....heavy rail has a larger infrastructure, higher-capacity rolling stock, usually run on fully separated right-of-way which can be elevated, tunnels, or simply on the ground.

IF the SD Metro ever gives good maintenance to the railcars and replace them before their end of service life (usually 15-18 years), the infrastructure being installed would be well-suited for REAL metro rolling stock, such as the railcars used by New York City's MTA, PATH, MBTA in Boston, the Underground in London, Moscow, Paris, Madrid Metro, etc....

If they built one in certain places in Southeast Asia, they can get it done here......