Hallelujah! The Dominican Republic gets its very own Metro
Hallelujah! The metro is here! Well, sort of. It’s not really here yet but it’s here enough for the President of the Dominican Republic to ride it this coming Wednesday, the 27th of February, which happens to be Independence Day (that would be the Dominican 4th of July for all you rednecks out there).
President Leonel Fernandez is up for reelection on May 16th and will use the almost-finished metro to bolster his image as a progressive, result-oriented politician. No doubt pictures and footage of him riding the new subway will dominate the news on Wednesday, but you saw my ride on it here first!
About the Author: Randall H. Miller is an American college educator/blogger. He is also a former U.S. Army officer (82nd Airborne) with a M.A. in Diplomacy (focusing on International Terrorism) and a B.A. in Criminal Justice. Use the form on the right to sign up and receive notifications of new content. The words and ideas expressed here are 100% his own and not those of his employers or affiliated organizations.
Wifredo | Feb 24, 2008 | Reply
I personally think that the metro is a good step towards reducing traffic here. But will there be an efficient source of energy for it? Will it be given maintainance adequately and if so, for how long? Will it be cheap enough for people who use the “carros publicos” be able to afford for it frequently? Are the drivers well trained? Will there be good security (guards, etc..) who will do their job seriously? For now, there are only lots of questions and very few auspicious results.
vanessa | Feb 24, 2008 | Reply
ARE WE SUPPOSED TO ENJOY THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A METRO?
WELL YEY!!! THERE GOES THOUSANDS OF BOOKS AND NEW SCHOOLS AND PAYCHECKS FOR THE TEACHERS WORKING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND AN AMET TRAINING PROGRAM AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT CAN MAKE OUR COUNTRY SOOO… MUCH BETTER. BUT HEY LETS ALL CELEBRATE THE NEW OPENING OF MODERN TRANSPORTANTION IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!
MAYBE FOR NEXT YEAR WE CAN BUY ANOTHER METRO BUT WITH THE PAYCHECKS OF ALL THE ´´DIPUTADOS´´ AND GOVERNMENT PEOPLE.
kenzadm | Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
Must agree with Vanessa that while a metro might be a good option in the future, at the moment it is definitely not our priority.
eric4435 | Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
I agree that a Metro isn’t really a priority right now. I could be wrong though. I remember when Leonel began building all the overpasses in the city (and a few tunnels too.) I thought he was nuts, trying to make us look like Seattle, but sure enough, they eased up congestion. Maybe the Metro will be a really big hit traffic-wise. I don’t think it will be, but I sure hope so.
Wifredo | Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
Also, at least we know where the government money is going, well some big part of it, not like during Hipolito’s administration, he didn’t do anything, we don’t know where all the money went (besides the thing about the trucks fraud and the two “H” bridges he built
)…
Gabriel | Mar 2, 2008 | Reply
Hi everyone! Yes it’s me!
I must admit, I’m astounded. It’s actually finished? That’s historical; a project that actually got finished XD. I’m betting there will be problems in a year…and those TVs inside it look awfully nice…haha, they’ll be the first to go…
I’m still surprised at how…nice it looks. For some reason I didn’t expect it to be so sleek and shiny. Congratulations. Now we have what my dad’s friends have been taking to work for years. Let’s have a big round of applause, woohoo! Yeah, feel great about eachother! Yeah! Yeah…umm…so…now what?
I still say though that the money would have been much better spent on building up the military. It provides a lot more jobs. But I guess we’ll see what happens…
Oh, BTW, my dad is over there; hopefully he’ll take pictures.Why is he there? Teehee-heads up on Sanky Panky 2
Clap clap, point point…
Gabriel | Mar 2, 2008 | Reply
Still, the metro is actually finished. That’s progress I suppose..
gaby | Mar 3, 2008 | Reply
My uncle told me that it was going to be free for six month! wow. I also hope it works, it will be a lot of help for the traffic.