It will be a 32-kilometer-long project, of which 22 kilometers will be at ground level, and 10 kilometers will be underground and elevated. A large part of the route will run along the cliff of Avenida Ecológica.
SANTO DOMINGO.– The Santo Domingo Metropolitan Train, one of the projects planned by the current government to help alleviate traffic congestion in Greater Santo Domingo, will be a 32-kilometer-long project, of which 22 kilometers will be at ground level and 10 kilometers will be underground and elevated.
Much of the route will run along the cliff of Avenida Ecológica, with an initial capacity to transport 200,000 users per day and 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction. "Metropolitan Train users will be able to travel in 30 minutes on a journey that currently takes around two hours," highlights a press release from the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP).
The Office of Urban and Interurban Mobility Project Development, the implementing body for the projects developed by the Trust for the Development of the Mass Transit System of the Dominican Republic (FITRAM), yesterday, Tuesday, deposited the public initiative for the project in DGAPP to begin the competitive process for its award.
The handover ceremony was led by the Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos Echavarría, the director of FITRAM, Jhael Isa, and the executive director of DGAPP, Sigmund Freund, who received the initiative.
According to the press release, Santos indicated that it was a momentous day for the country and for the transportation system because they are working to materialize one of the most important projects for mass transit in the Dominican Republic, but above all, for Greater Santo Domingo.
“We are creating a safe, low-cost transportation system that will improve the quality of life for residents, not only because of the economic savings it represents but also because of the comfort and time that will be saved,” the minister explained.
He emphasized that the Government's strategies to maximize public resources continue to be strengthened, as public-private partnerships allow the State to generate and develop infrastructure using resources from the private sector when necessary for the country's development.
For his part, Isa stated that this initiative is the most ambitious project that the Dominican Government has proposed with the aim of revolutionizing mobility between Santo Domingo Oeste and the National District, where there is a higher population density.
“Today we are handing over this project to the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships, an entity governed by Law 47-20, with the objective of carrying out a bidding process in which international bidders can participate in the development of the infrastructure of this Metropolitan Train,” Isa stated.
Freund also noted that receiving such an important project for President Luis Abinader is the best example that PPP projects have the confidence of the entire government and all officials of this administration.
“Rest assured that the DGAPP will dedicate all its time, its best personnel, and its capabilities to making this a reality as quickly as possible, fulfilling President Luis Abinader’s desire to provide Santo Domingo and its surroundings with a mobility service that will transform the face of this city,” Freund stated.
The route it follows
In accordance with the procedure of Law 47-20, the proposal will be reviewed by the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CNAPP), so that, once the declaration of public interest has been issued, the structuring of the initiative and the competitive process for the selection of the international contractor can proceed, where qualified companies with the technical and financial credentials can participate, in an open and transparent bidding process.
More details
The Santo Domingo Metropolitan Train is established, in its first stage, as a mass public transport system with a capacity for 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction, from the Olympic Center to the Las Américas International Airport, with an extension of 32 kilometers and 20 stations.
Phase 1A runs from the Olympic Centre to Charles de Gaulle with 10 stations and will represent a saving of more than 50% of the time for users, going from 90 minutes of travel time to just 30 minutes.
The supervision of the project's construction will be the responsibility of FITRAM, the unit that would assume this management once the bidding process is completed and the winning bidder is selected by the DGAPP.
The Santo Domingo Metropolitan Train is a project of the Dominican state that aims to complement the Integrated Transportation System (SIT) which, together with the metro, the two cable car lines and the OMSA buses, can move close to one million people per day.
This is one of the most important projects of President Luis Abinader's administration, which will connect the National District from the Olympic Center, with Santo Domingo East, to Charles de Gaulle Avenue in a first stage, for a total route that would extend to the Las Américas International Airport.
