The Government has determined that the first month of operation of the Cable Car will be free for citizens, starting today, Tuesday, May 2, when it officially begins its services.
SANTO DOMINGO - Two years after work began, the community of Los Alcarrizos, Santo Domingo Oeste, celebrated yesterday the opening of its long-awaited cable car, a public transportation service that will improve the mobility of the residents and allow them to connect with other means of transport.
At the inauguration, President Luis Abinader, accompanied by three community leaders, took the first ride from one of the system's cabins at the first station, Los Alcarrizos, to the last station, Los Americanos. Line 2 of the Santo Domingo Cable Car cost the Dominican State 6,697,930,464.54 pesos.
The first line of this transportation system was launched in 2018 in Santo Domingo Norte. The idea for its construction arose in response to the chaotic traffic in the Dominican capital, as well as the deficient existing service.
A modern transport
Jhael Isa, director of the Office of Special Projects for Urban and Interurban Mobility of the Presidency, stated yesterday that the Alcarrizos Cable Car is considered the most modern in the world at this time.
"By its very nature, this is the first urban monocable system to reach a capacity of 4,500 passengers per hour in each direction, and the fastest of all, at 7 meters per second, equivalent to 25 kilometers per hour, thanks to its more powerful motor and larger cable diameter. This will allow it to cover the 4.20-kilometer distance between the first and last stations in just 15 minutes," he said.
The cable car has four stations: “Los Alcarrizos”, located on the Duarte Highway, where it will join the planned expansion of the Metro; “Las Toronjas”, in the sector of the same name; “Puente Blanco”, and the “Los Americanos” station, near the free zone and the Calventi hospital.
The new transport system also includes a cabin garage, 25 pylons, and 163 cabins. Each cabin can accommodate 12 people: 10 seated and 2 standing. Each cabin is equipped with a small solar panel that provides electricity, as well as a security camera.
The Cable Car Line 2 in Los Alcarrizos has its own emergency generators that would allow it to operate independently and take the cabins to the stations in case of a national power failure.
The system includes triple redundancy and a 2.5 megawatt emergency generator.
The newly launched public transport system obtained certification from the French company Bureau Veritas, whose technicians supervised the project's operational process and the entire trial period, and granted it the corresponding permits to operate in accordance with international requirements.
Free for one month
The government has decided that the first month of operation of the cable car will be free for citizens, starting today, Tuesday, May 2nd, when it officially begins service. The operating hours will be from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturdays will be open continuously from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Sundays and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Starting May 30, the system will begin commercial operation from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with a fare of RD$35 that will include the cable car and the OMSA identified buses.
President Abinader instructed Jhael Isa, head of the Office of Special Projects for Urban and Interurban Mobility of the Presidency, to coordinate with the Ministry of Education so that all students in the areas near the cable car are issued a transportation card and can travel for free.
Integrated route
With the inauguration of the cable car, OMSA will enable two routes with a unified fare: the 27B corridor, which will begin at the entrance of Los Alcarrizos, take the Prolongación 27 de Febrero, at kilometer 13 of the Duarte Highway, and return at the so-called Huacalito, and a provisional corridor to the Metro stop at KM 9 of the Duarte, as specified by the general director of the entity, Radhamés González.
"In other words, on both routes the passenger will be able to board the buses, the cable cars and the Metro, with a single ticket, which will be paid with a savings and credit card, or the one belonging to the cable car and the Metro," González said in a press release.
