I agree with most of your post. But trust me, the highlighted isn't likely to happen.
I love Santiago and currently log in most of my time in country there. But anyone who spends quite a bit of time in Santiago will tell you that there really isn't much there that will support a major tourist industry. Santiaguerros are a little more conservative than their bretheren in La Capital. It's just not as tourist friendly. It's relatively problematic making any headway there unless you speak the language. Any sort of beach is too far away. And there's relatively little point-and-click mongering.
These are the some of the factors, not access, that really limit tourist traffic to Santiago. It's already a relatively short bus/taxi/drive from POP. And it's cheaper to fly into STI than POP. If Santiago had the potential to replace Sosua as the top DR tourist mongering destination, there would already be thousands of mongers flocking there. But the reality is that the majority of mongers who fly into STI are on their way to the North coast.
I'm pretty sure that the the railway would be mostly used by locals traveling between the two cities, and mongers headed to the North coast. And to be honest, that's perfectly fine for Santiago lovers like me.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ing-empty.html
Seems to me the Chinese should maybe consider spending a little money on the poor in their own country. Or come up with ways to help out that actually make sense. The above link explains what I mean. Also the link below for footage
What's understood doesn't need to be said.
It is a hoax. I almost guarantee it.
Chinese don't spend money unless there is a substantial profit behind it. Whatever they do in Africa and Latin America always has got a commercial project behind it in mining or transportation like in Panama.
As for the railway, it is much more viable in Brazil, still there are no railways in Brazil.
There is not enough demand for a railway project between PP and SDLC. What make sense is a toll highway. Even toll highway probably will cost a quarter billion.
Then who will guarantee the project? What the financing costs mainly interest will be? How much will cost to maintain it? Who will maintain it?
Do you recall the story with teleferico maintenance and repair? Everything has to be imported from Europe. The metro is SD operates at a loss and is subsidized.
Again, gimme that $ and I will figure out how to guarantee loans for a nuke power plant which will benefit both DR and Haiti and is absolutely necessary to transform the island.
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The money is in the asphalt, big guy.
That's already in the works. The main reason for that route is to move freight and finished goods from the Free Zones to the port for shipment, people would be secondary. Meant to be a union buster.(truckers)
The conversion of the PP-Navarette-Santiago highway to a toll highway is already underway.
The main reason for a railway from PP to Santiago would be for freight as well. Do you know how much freight is moved through Puerto Plata? Lots.
There is also a new cruise ship terminal being built in Maimon. Tourists on those ships could do a short hop into Puerto Plata for touristy stuff.
BTW, the Metro in Santo Domingo was never meant to be a money maker. It was built to improve mass transit, which is currently a nightmare. The city desperately needs a mass transit system.
Everyone used to say that the metro would be worthless, but now everybody is complaining that it's not big enough. What a change.
The second line East/west is supposed to be done by the end of this year. Here's what it should look like when it's done:
http://us.santo-domingo-live.com/upl...to-domingo.jpg
The entire country is undertaking a "National Master Plan" to improve transportation options.
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Seems that the current government figured out they have no money. Danilo is cutting this and that and many supporters are upset. But, if he can come up with some major projects to help the country that costs no money and no debt, such as a toll road or railroad built by foreigners, then he can show that his policies are working and benefiting people. Everything in this country is for show and appearances...not the truth. Some big projects will look good. I dink...
Wasn't there a rail system back in the trujilo day? I agree with Mr Happy it will break the hold of the truckers that have strong hold on how products are moved.
I'm a Payer not a Player
Yep, from Puerto Plata to La Vega. Trujillo had it torn up due to dissidents....
Puerto Plata has always been the main harbour for Cibao, and thus for Santiago and surrounding areas. The dictator Ulises Heureaux (Lilis) opened the route between Moca and Puerto Plata in 1897.
The harbour town became a transfer-harbour for the local area, and exported tropical wood, cigars, tobacco, rum and sugar. When the dictator Trujillo came to power during the 1930s, he encountered a lot of opposition from the important families in the harbour town, so he punished Puerto Plata by dismantling the railway line in 1952, to the fury of those with their own sugar plantations.
The Chinese want resources not pussy. This article is a joke.
Question is there a need to put freight on a high speed rail? Nope.
Is there a need in a railroad from Maimon to an aquarium to play with freaking dolphins from 7 am to 2 pm when the ships are docked? Nope.
I will leave political implications aside, what's 50 years anyway...
It will be done sooner then later, and for the reasons MyHappy has said. In the south they do this with sugar cane, and here in the north they will do it for 40 ft container loads, import and export loads, especially from the free zones. IMO in the beginning passengers will not be the focus with the rail system from POP and back
“I don’t know the question, but sex is definitely the answer.”
The Chinese arent going to come in foolish and doe-eyed. They will already have solved most of the problems that will occur, and they will know what will occur. And they didnt just wake up and say "fuck it lets build a railroad for these greedy, corrupt, unappreciative assholes". They are doing it to make money on something. lots of things are made in DR, so who knows what they have up their sleeve.
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Maybe they're trying to work the sugar cane market, since China is growing and gas supplies are dwindling everyone's going to have to start looking into more sustainable fuels, and ethanol from sugarcane is a big one (just ask Brazil). You need the right climate and land to grow it and DR has both, it may be the best natural resource left in the DR.
In my opinion progress for he most part, is good, no matter what the reasons behind it. Now will some that are currently doing business, suffer of course, that always is going to happen when you change or put in new innovations, it's inevitable.
Progress is also good in this instance because we are not just talking about your local neighborhood, but things that will effect a whole country, and how they operate in the future, I am all for it, as far as your original question goes.
If the Dominican Republic is going to progress, they need a strong and dependable rail system, every industrial country in the world has one, so if they want to progress, they will need one as well. Baby steps, but steps none the less have to be taken. Can't compare this country to the US, and in my opinion one of the things that many foreigners and new ex - pats are constantly doing, if you make that comparison, it will always continued to be looked down upon. Unless you compare it to the US at another point in it's history. Some call it a third world country, I always considered it a second world country, I know it's just semantics, but it's a way to look at it, and it's place in the world in my opinion.
First off, the Chinese are not so generous that they want to build a new railway system out of the goodness of their heart.
What's going to happen is what happened in Costa Rica. The Chinese offered to build them a national soccer stadium in san Jose. The Costa Ricans agreed. And now a couple of years later, Costa Rica is China's bitch.
In case you are wondering what happened in between... China brought in 600 Chinese workers from home (no jobs for Costa Ricans-all Chinese labor) and built the fucking thing in no time (they had 3 shifts going 24 hours a day). They lived in a dorm onsite. In exchange for their generous "gift", China now enjoys duty-free imports into Costa Rica. So more of their cheap plastic lead paint garbage is being peddled throughout the country. And now Costa Rica has agreed to build Barrio Chino (Chinatown) in the middle of downtown. It's almost done, ETA is mid-December.
So basically, it gave China free entrance into the CR market, and did nothing to improve the economy or well-being of Costa Ricans. They now sarcastically call their country "Costa China". They are pissed at the way their government sold the country out.
By that logic the US is China's bitch as well, if you look at how much the US owes them.
At some point your Country has to have some faith in the people who govern it, and make those decisions, obviously those in Costa Rica, didn't do the right thing by their Country, if the DR does the same they deserve what they get, up to the new President and his people to do it in a way which will benefit their Country. Just because one Country fucked up with their negotiations, that means that all other countries, will as well? If your neighbor attempts to build a small business in your neighborhood and is a total failure, and you have an idea for a business, you should abandon it, because your neighbor fucked up? Or should you believe in yourself, get the best possible advice and move forward with your dreams, regardless of what happened to his neighbor's dreams.
Of course I realize that I am betting on the Dominican Republic's gov't which is historically a bad bet, but it's needed, and maybe they will get it right. Then again maybe not!
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