NewsWhore
01-16-2007, 04:20 PM
Diandino Pena, director of the Office for the Reorganization of Transport (OPRET) has promised that the first line of the Santo Domingo Metro will be ready by 2007, saying that it would be a great surprise in time for Christmas. The government hopes the modernity of the metro will convince Dominicans that it is the best solution to public transport in time for the May 2008 presidential election, when the re-election of President Fernandez could be decided.
Pena was pressed to make his positive comments in spite of the recent bad publicity the project received after a collapse at one of the Maximo Gomez stations on Sunday. Pena denied that there had been a collapse and said that a truck had rolled over a water pipe that was about a meter deep and damaged the pipe, causing some dirt to be moved. As reported in Listin Diario, Pena blamed the city water corporation for not keeping adequate plans on where their pipes are located. A section of the avenue has been closed off to traffic. Pena disclosed that 80 to 85 percent of the work on the metro would be completed within five or six months. OPRET sub-director for Evaluation and Communications Leonel Carrasco says that 50% of the Metro work in the National District has been completed and that the 10 stations in Villa Mella section of Santo Domingo are at the finishing stages.
Metro promoters say they will transport 250,000 commuters of an estimated total of 2,040,000 who use public transport in Santo Domingo and surrounding municipalities, as reported in Saturday's Listin Diario. The promoters say that the first tests on the Villa Mella - Centro de los Heroes line, which will be served by 17 trains and 65 cars, will be ready by spring 2008, shortly before the May 2008 presidential election. Engineer Leonel Carrasco said that the entire project envisions the construction of six other lines. The others would be Los Alcarrizos to San Luis, Haina to La Isabelita, Plaza La Bandera to Luperon with John F. Kennedy, La Isabelita to Carretera Mella, and a line to the Colonial City.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)
Pena was pressed to make his positive comments in spite of the recent bad publicity the project received after a collapse at one of the Maximo Gomez stations on Sunday. Pena denied that there had been a collapse and said that a truck had rolled over a water pipe that was about a meter deep and damaged the pipe, causing some dirt to be moved. As reported in Listin Diario, Pena blamed the city water corporation for not keeping adequate plans on where their pipes are located. A section of the avenue has been closed off to traffic. Pena disclosed that 80 to 85 percent of the work on the metro would be completed within five or six months. OPRET sub-director for Evaluation and Communications Leonel Carrasco says that 50% of the Metro work in the National District has been completed and that the 10 stations in Villa Mella section of Santo Domingo are at the finishing stages.
Metro promoters say they will transport 250,000 commuters of an estimated total of 2,040,000 who use public transport in Santo Domingo and surrounding municipalities, as reported in Saturday's Listin Diario. The promoters say that the first tests on the Villa Mella - Centro de los Heroes line, which will be served by 17 trains and 65 cars, will be ready by spring 2008, shortly before the May 2008 presidential election. Engineer Leonel Carrasco said that the entire project envisions the construction of six other lines. The others would be Los Alcarrizos to San Luis, Haina to La Isabelita, Plaza La Bandera to Luperon with John F. Kennedy, La Isabelita to Carretera Mella, and a line to the Colonial City.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)