The Dominican Republic is a really road-orientated country, with railways traditionally playing a very small role.
A few railways were built in the 19th century to get plantation produce to the ports.
One such railway also ran to the Bahia San Lorenzo in the East of the country.
Nowadays the causeway and the piles of the wharf remain as interesting artifacts for tourists.
The line used to run past a cave that is remarkable due to its many ancient (pre-Columbian) drawings.
Otherwise the railway has mostly been reclaimed by the jungle.
[Jun 2023].
|
Apparently there are still a few sugar cane railways in the Province La Romana, but I've never been there.
But the main form of rail transport in the Dominican Republic these days is the metro in Santo Domingo.
It is about 49 km long and is still being extended.
[Jun 2023].
|
Line 1 was opened in 2008. North of the Station Maximo Gomez, this line is elevated rather than underground.
One of the 46 metro trains crosses the bridge between Maximo Gomez and Hermanas Mirabal.
[Jun 2023].
|
The station Hermanas Mirabal sits beside the street of the same name.
It is a nice, modern station that could accommodate more people than seem to travel through it regularly.
The sisters Mirabal were three sisters that were assesinated by order of the dictator Trujillo in 1960 for their opposition to the regime.
Their deaths led to the assesination of the dictator a year later and the downfall of the regime.
[Jun 2023].
|
The 46 three-car electric multiple units are of the Alstom Metropolis 9000 design.
They were delivered in consecutive orders from 2008 onwards.
The trainsets are designed to carry up to 617 passengers per train and it seems at times they reach maximum occupancy.
[Jun 2023].
|
Initially there was some concern that the population might not use the metro.
Such concern was misplaced. The metro is normally quite full, at times bursting full.
One aim of building the new metro was to relieve congestion on the roads.
However in a growing city like Santo Domingo, the transport demand is such that any capacity is immediately filled.
Still, tens of thousands now can move more conveniently around the city by metro.
[Jun 2023].
|
In 2016 a 645m-long bridge was opened across the River Ozama to extend the metro network.
With that the metro tapped into the large population in Santo Domingo East.
[Aug 2018].
|
The bridge is quite an impressive structure that stands above the poor neighbourhoods in this area.
[Aug 2018].
|
The network and all of the platforms are already built for six-car trains.
That capacity is already needed, but it is doubtful whether some of the stations can cope with any more people.
They are already very crowded.
[Aug 2018].
|
At the station Eduardo Brito the metro connects with the cable car.
The cable car provides easy access across a few rivers and heavily-populated areas.
[Jun 2023].
|
The cable car goes above the roofs of a fairly poor neighbourhood in Santo Domingo.
[Aug 2018].
|
The cable car is part of the urban transport system and fully integrated with the metro.
It is a cost-effective way of providing grade-separated public transport.
[Jun 2023].
|
While it might not be possible in all countries to glide above the roofs of houses,
the ability to cross rivers and varying terrain makes cable cars great public transport.
[Jun 2023].
|
The Dominican Republic is a really road-orientated country, with railways traditionally playing a very small role.
A few railways were built in the 19th century to get plantation produce to the ports.
One such railway also ran to the Bahia San Lorenzo in the East of the country.
Nowadays the causeway and the piles of the wharf remain as interesting artifacts for tourists.
The line used to run past a cave that is remarkable due to its many ancient (pre-Columbian) drawings.
Otherwise the railway has mostly been reclaimed by the jungle.
[Jun 2023].
Apparently there are still a few sugar cane railways in the Province La Romana, but I've never been there.
But the main form of rail transport in the Dominican Republic these days is the metro in Santo Domingo.
It is about 49 km long and is still being extended.
[Jun 2023].
Line 1 was opened in 2008. North of the Station Maximo Gomez, this line is elevated rather than underground.
One of the 46 metro trains crosses the bridge between Maximo Gomez and Hermanas Mirabal.
[Jun 2023].
The station Hermanas Mirabal sits beside the street of the same name.
It is a nice, modern station that could accommodate more people than seem to travel through it regularly.
The sisters Mirabal were three sisters that were assesinated by order of the dictator Trujillo in 1960 for their opposition to the regime.
Their deaths led to the assesination of the dictator a year later and the downfall of the regime.
[Jun 2023].
The 46 three-car electric multiple units are of the Alstom Metropolis 9000 design.
They were delivered in consecutive orders from 2008 onwards.
The trainsets are designed to carry up to 617 passengers per train and it seems at times they reach maximum occupancy.
[Jun 2023].
Initially there was some concern that the population might not use the metro.
Such concern was misplaced. The metro is normally quite full, at times bursting full.
One aim of building the new metro was to relieve congestion on the roads.
However in a growing city like Santo Domingo, the transport demand is such that any capacity is immediately filled.
Still, tens of thousands now can move more conveniently around the city by metro.
[Jun 2023].
In 2016 a 645m-long bridge was opened across the River Ozama to extend the metro network.
With that the metro tapped into the large population in Santo Domingo East.
[Aug 2018].
The bridge is quite an impressive structure that stands above the poor neighbourhoods in this area.
[Aug 2018].
The network and all of the platforms are already built for six-car trains.
That capacity is already needed, but it is doubtful whether some of the stations can cope with any more people.
They are already very crowded.
[Aug 2018].
At the station Eduardo Brito the metro connects with the cable car.
The cable car provides easy access across a few rivers and heavily-populated areas.
[Jun 2023].
The cable car goes above the roofs of a fairly poor neighbourhood in Santo Domingo.
[Aug 2018].
The cable car is part of the urban transport system and fully integrated with the metro.
It is a cost-effective way of providing grade-separated public transport.
[Jun 2023].
While it might not be possible in all countries to glide above the roofs of houses,
the ability to cross rivers and varying terrain makes cable cars great public transport.
[Jun 2023].