This first section of the system comprises 4 kilometers that run from the La Yagüita del Pastor sector to the Las Carreras Central Terminal in Pueblo Nuevo.
SANTIAGO.- President Luis Abinader inaugurated the first section of the Santiago Cable Car yesterday, Sunday, a project built with an investment of RD$6.544 billion that will directly impact around 74,000 inhabitants of nine of the most populated sectors of that city.
The Santiago Cable Car is a cable transport system, made up of 129 cabins with detachable clamps, with the capacity to transport 4,000 passengers per hour and in each direction, and will have a daily transport capacity of 64,000 people.
This first section of the system covers 4kilometers, running from the La Yagüita del Pastor sector to the Las Carreras Central Terminal in Pueblo Nuevo, with 4 stations: E1: Central Station, E2: Emiliano Tardif Station, E3: Renée Klang de Guzmán Station, and E4: Yolanda Santana Station. The entire journey takes 10 minutes.
During the inaugural ceremony, the president recalled that on September 29, 2021, he was in the same place to break ground on the construction of the major project, as an alternative that will help solve one of the country's biggest social problems, which is land transportation.
The president, who was accompanied by Vice President Raquel Peña and First Lady Raquel Arbaje, stated that the Santiago Cable Car is a project that will benefit thousands of people by providing a safe, efficient, and accessible means of transportation for all. It will also contribute to reducing traffic in the city, improve the quality of life for its residents, and facilitate access to hard-to-reach areas.
Free cable car
The president announced that starting today, Monday, the system will be operating free of charge and with special schedules, with the goal that the residents of Santiago can use, get to know, and adopt this modern transportation system and incorporate it into their daily routine as a safe, fast, comfortable, and much more economical mobility option.
He explained that the transportation project will transform the city of Santiago, which will never be the same. "This comprehensive urban mobility project, which focuses on a mass transit system, is unique in the entire Caribbean region. This should make us extremely proud of the capacity and resilience of the Dominican Republic, which has proven to be a country that takes its own development and the well-being of its people very seriously.".
To improve the quality of life of citizens
For his part, the Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos Echavarría, pointed out a series of actions that are complementary to the project and that demonstrate the Government's strategy of combining economic, social, environmental and urban development as a way to improve the quality of life of citizens in all aspects.
Senator Eduardo Estrella, representing the province of Santiago, also highlighted that no project spanning the Yaque del Norte River had been undertaken in the province since 1990. He emphasized the other projects President Abinader has been carrying out in the province, including the inauguration of various buildings for the benefit of all residents of the Cibao region.
Meanwhile, Jhael Isa, executive director of the Trust for the Development of the Mass Transit System of the Dominican Republic (Fitram), the agency that manages the Office of Urban and Interurban Mobility Project Development of the Ministry of the Presidency, stated that everyone is witnessing a historic momentthat opens a new chapter in the sustainable development of the city of Santiago, which is the first organized public transportation system in this metropolis with the second most populated province in our country, and which constitutes a true change.
The director of Fitram announced that the central terminal of the Santiago Cable Car will have a GOB Point where government offices will be located so that residents of the area can easily carry out their procedures.
Special Schedule
In this first phase of education, the Santiago Cable Car will be offering service at special times to make it easier for the city's citizens to gradually adopt the use of the system.
These are the schedules:
• From March 18 to 31
• Monday to Friday from 8 to 10 in the morning.
• Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 4 to 6:00 pm.
• From April 1st to 30th:
• Monday to Saturday from 6:00 to 9:00 am and from 4:00 to 8:00 pm.
• Sundays and public holidays from 12 pm to 8 pm.
• Starting May 1st, the schedule will be:
• Monday to Friday from 6:00 am to 10:30 pm
• Saturdays from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm
• Sundays and public holidays from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm
Those attending the inauguration included former President of the Republic, Hipólito Mejía; Senator for the province of Santiago, Eduardo Estrella; the Ministers of the Presidency, Igor Rodríguez; of Public Works, Deligne Ascensión; of Health, Víctor Atalah; and the Dominican Ambassador to the United States, Sonia Guzmán.
Also present were the provincial governor of Santiago, Rosa Santos; the mayors of the National District, Carolina Mejía, and of La Vega, Kelvin Cruz; the director of Proindustria and mayor-elect for the municipality of Santiago de los Caballeros, Ulises Rodríguez; the directors of Digeig, Milagros Ortiz Bosch; of the Unit for the Redevelopment of Neighborhoods and Environment (URBE), José Miguel González Cuadra; of Opret, Rafael Santos; of National Assets, Rafael Burgos; and of Inespre, Iván Hernández.
