Transport in the Dominican Republic

Transportation in the Dominican Republic is composed of a system of roads, airports, ports, harbours and an urban railway:

Roadways

There are five main highways (DR-1, DR-2, DR-3, DR-4, DR-5) they are in good condition in the Dominican Republic connecting its biggest cities and tourist centers. There are nearly 19,705 km (12,244 mi) of highways and roads, 9,872 being paved and 9,833 km (6,110 mi) (2002 est.) unpaved. Like any underdeveloped nation, the Dominican Republic suffers from lack of good paved roads to connect smaller towns and less populated areas though they are working on it, however major town roads are kept in good condition.

Public transport

Mass transit

The Santo Domingo Metro is the first mass transit system in the country, and second in the Caribbean & Central American nations after the Tren Urbano in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On February 27, 2008 the incumbent president Leonel Fernández test rode the system for the first time and free service was offered thereafter several times. Commercial service started on January 30, 2009. Several additional lines are currently being planned.

The Santiago light rail system is a planned light rail system in the Dominican Republic's second largest city, still in developing stages it was said to start on mid-2008 but right now is currently on hold due to lack of approval and of central government funds.

Buses

The Dominican Republic has a bus system that is rather reliable, and most of these public transportation vehicles are fairly comfortable. The fare is generally inexpensive, and there are bus terminals and stops in most of the island's major cities.

Public Cars (Carros Públicos)

The Public Cars (Carros Públicos–Conchos) are privately owned passenger cars that transit a specific route daily and passengers pay a certain fee with the convenience of stopping anywhere. This comprises one of the main ways of transportation inside the capital city of Santo Domingo, as well as other major cities. This system though, is not very reliable and lacks discipline. The high number of public cars that travel the roads, and the fact that they do not lend themselves to regulation or central control, causes frequent transit problems among city roads. They may also be somewhat uncomfortable, since they try to fit as many people as possible inside them. As a standard, a 4-person sedan (driver included) usually carries 6 passengers, twice the amount for which they were designed.

Railways

Rail map as of 1925

Rail operations are provided by one state owned operator and several private operators (mainly for sugar mills):

Ports and harbors

Major ports and harbours in the Dominican Republic:

Ports

The following six local ports are a single pier with berth facility:

[1]

A local ferry service runs daily between the Samaná and Sabana del Mar ports.

Merchant marine

Entering the ports

Boaters and sailors who wish to dock in any of DR's ports must follow certain entry requirements:

Airports

Boeing 737-800 at Cibao International Airport in Santiago, DR

There are 7 major and 31 minor airports in the DR (2009):

Airports - with paved runways

Airports - with unpaved runways

National airlines

Flights

There are direct flights to and from Dominican Republic From United States, Cuba, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the Caribbean.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.cei-rd.gov.do/download/brochures/Investment-brochure.pdf
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