NewsWhore
02-02-2009, 04:20 PM
Formidable competition from the fast, comfortable and safe Santo Domingo Metro has led to price cuts by drivers of carros publicos (shared taxis) that service the Metro routes, primarily the Maximo Gomez corridor, as reported in Hoy. The newspaper reports on the number of commuters who chose to leave their vehicles at the Metro parking lots to board the train to work. Several businesses have changed their name to piggyback on the popularity of the new transport system. Hoy newspaper reports that businesses along the route now sport names like Minimarket Villa Metro and Metro Fast Food. News reports indicate that people love the metro and have been quick to forget its high construction and operation cost.
Metro trains start running northbound from Centro de los Heroes at 6:35am. The station opens at 6am. The last train departs southbound from the northernmost Villa Mella station at 10:03pm. The schedule for the train is Mon-Sat from 6:30-9am, with trains running at 3-5 minutes intervals. From 9am to 3:30pm intervals are 4-7 minutes; from 3:30-7pm, intervals of 3-5 minutes, from 7-9pm, 7-10 minutes and from 9 to 10pm, 10-15 minutes. On holidays, the stations will operate from 6:30am to 8pm, with trains running 6-10 minutes, and from 8-10pm at intervals of 10-15 minutes. Life has improved considerably for commuters who are now using the metro, and the experience is giving everyone a good feel for the modern transport system. The government has announced plans to go ahead with the second line that will run from Los Alcarrizos under the Duarte and J F Kennedy routes to Ave. San Vicente de Paul, with 20 stations. Four further lines are planned. The first line of the metro at 14.5 kms has 16 stations and was built in what was considered record time, or 40 months. The government says the metro cost US$700 million, or about two thirds of the entire national budget for 2009. In 2005, Pena had said the metro would cost "US$327-US$370 million." The government has said it will cost RD$105 million a month to operate the metro. The Madrid Metro was a leading advisor on the project, under a US$16.6 million contract, and its director Ildefonso de Matias was one of the guests at the inauguration event.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
Metro trains start running northbound from Centro de los Heroes at 6:35am. The station opens at 6am. The last train departs southbound from the northernmost Villa Mella station at 10:03pm. The schedule for the train is Mon-Sat from 6:30-9am, with trains running at 3-5 minutes intervals. From 9am to 3:30pm intervals are 4-7 minutes; from 3:30-7pm, intervals of 3-5 minutes, from 7-9pm, 7-10 minutes and from 9 to 10pm, 10-15 minutes. On holidays, the stations will operate from 6:30am to 8pm, with trains running 6-10 minutes, and from 8-10pm at intervals of 10-15 minutes. Life has improved considerably for commuters who are now using the metro, and the experience is giving everyone a good feel for the modern transport system. The government has announced plans to go ahead with the second line that will run from Los Alcarrizos under the Duarte and J F Kennedy routes to Ave. San Vicente de Paul, with 20 stations. Four further lines are planned. The first line of the metro at 14.5 kms has 16 stations and was built in what was considered record time, or 40 months. The government says the metro cost US$700 million, or about two thirds of the entire national budget for 2009. In 2005, Pena had said the metro would cost "US$327-US$370 million." The government has said it will cost RD$105 million a month to operate the metro. The Madrid Metro was a leading advisor on the project, under a US$16.6 million contract, and its director Ildefonso de Matias was one of the guests at the inauguration event.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)