The central terminal will concentrate public services (from the Electoral Board, Driver's License, DGII, Corasaan, Edenorte and city hall services), a professional building and more than 5,000 square meters in 33 commercial premises that will provide additional income to the Integrated Transportation System (SIT) of the city of Santiago.
SANTIAGO- Designed for the physical, technological and fare integration of the city's various public transport systems, for the benefit of users and the environment, this is how the Monorail to be built in Santiago will be, and whose works were initiated yesterday by President Luis Abinader.
This new transportation system is part of the Integrated Transportation System (SIT), designed by the Dominican government. The president officially launched its construction yesterday, Wednesday, and it will have the capacity to transport 20,000 passengers per hour.
The governor said that this high-tech rail system will directly impact more than 500,000 people, reducing transportation costs by 30%, decreasing congestion, and increasing productivity with less environmental impact.
“We have set out to revolutionize cities and impact people’s daily lives with real actions that everyone can enjoy,” he stated
He emphasized that the objective is to establish a high-quality and readily available public transportation service, interconnected with the Santiago Integrated Transportation System, reducing travel time and transportation costs, and increasing accessibility and quality of life for users.
The Santiago Monorail is the first in Central America and the Caribbean and will be managed through the Office for the Development of Urban and Interurban Mobility Projects.
“Here and now, we begin to fulfill the dream of having a monorail in the city of Santiago,” proclaimed the head of state, describing this project as a demand for years from the people of Santiago and a commitment of his government administration.
The Santiago Monorail, the president assured, will solve problems and generate new opportunities. Together with Line 1 of the cable car, it connects the city's most populated areas and main employment centers.
He based the importance of the work on the fact that Santiago de los Caballeros has developed as a monocentric city, concentrating all activity in the urban center.
He added that the situation has led to the consolidation of trips from the peripheral area towards travel attraction areas, such as large job generators, educational centers and institutional management.
“With this system, we are establishing a new comprehensive transportation management system that encompasses and groups all models and makes it accessible to all citizens,” Abinader said.
He indicated that the way people live and move around the city is changing, so the Government is responding to that demand with actions like this: with cutting-edge, sustainable and efficient public transport.
President Abinader understands that moving around the city should never be a problem, but an opportunity.
The president was accompanied by the president of the Senate and senator for Santiago, Eduardo Estrella; the ministers of the Presidency, Lisandro Macarrulla; Administrative Minister of the Presidency, José Ignacio Paliza; Minister of Public Works, Deligne Ascención; the minister without portfolio, Geanilda Vásquez; and the governor of Santiago, Rosa Santos.
Also present were the mayor of Santiago, Abel Martínez; the director of the Office for the Development of Urban and Interurban Mobility Projects, Jhael Isa; the mayor of Santiago Oeste, Eddy Báez; the general manager of Edenorte, Andrés Cueto; and the director of Proindustria, Ulises Rodríguez.
Also present were members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps accredited in the country and the Transportation Cabinet; businesspeople; community members; and other guests.
During the event, Senator Eduardo Estrella of Santiago stated that this monorail represents a great benefit for all citizens, including students, workers, and athletes, and marks a turning point in Santiago's transportation, which translates into a better quality of life.
He stated that after many years a president had not taken Santiago into account when returning what the province pays in taxes.
He said that these projects have come about faster than imagined, thanks to the political will of the president, a president who does not waste money and makes the most of every peso and cent.
Technical details and coverage
The director of the Office for the Development of Urban and Interurban Mobility Projects, Jhael Isa, reported that in the city of Santiago there are 1 million 197 thousand trips a day, of which 30% will be captured with the entry into operation of the Monorail.
He explained that history is being made in Santiago today because the largest social investment in the province in the last 50 years is beginning.
"This initiative, led by the President of the Republic and under the Ministry of the Presidency, will allow any citizen to travel from Cienfuegos to Beijing in just 25 minutes, a journey that currently takes hours," he said.
Isa also added that the Dominican State designed this system to generate a high-quality and readily available public transportation network, comprised of the new monorail, the cable car, and a complementary network of approximately six bus corridors that will form the main feeder routes.
In this way, he added, an interconnected system is formed physically, technologically and in terms of tariffs, establishing an alternative to the private vehicle and reducing congestion levels in the urban center.
The blessing of the event was given by the auxiliary bishop of the province of Santiago, Monsignor Tomás Morel.
About the Monorail
This new transportation method is part of the Integrated Transportation System (SIT), designed by the Dominican State for the physical, technological and tariff integration of the different means of public transportation in the city for the benefit of users and the environment.
The monorail will travel on a reinforced concrete rail structure, on a viaduct that will cross the entire city from Cienfuegos to Beijing on a 15-kilometer route, with 16 stations and a central terminal for integration with the cable car.
This way, it focuses on the most populated areas and the main workplaces in the city.
The system will have a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, with a train every 90 seconds during peak hours. It will have a capacity for 580 passengers per train, distributed in 4 cars of 145 passengers each.
The central terminal will concentrate public services (from the Electoral Board, Driver's License, DGII, Corasaan, Edenorte and city hall services), a professional building and more than 5,000 square meters in 33 commercial premises that will provide additional income to the Integrated Transportation System (SIT) of the city of Santiago.
An integrated payment method has been designed that covers all transportation services offered by the Dominican State, accepting different banking payment instruments such as credit cards, debit cards, INTRANT Integrated Transportation System cards as well as other electronic means.
The Monorail stations will be:
E1 Cienfuegos Station
E2 San Lorenzo Station
E3 Ensanche Espaillat Station
E4 La Plazona Station (Free Trade Zone)
E5 Circunvalación Station
E6 Cuesta Colorada Station
E7 Aguilas Cibaeñas Station
E8 Pueblo Nuevo Station
E9 Central Terminal Station
E10 Las Carreras Station
E11 Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration Station
E12 El Ensueño Station
E13 Nibaje Station
E14 Pekín Station
E15 Olympic Village
E16 Madre y Maestra
