A new date has been set to launch the Santiago monorail.
The Executive Branch set a new deadline this Friday for the launch of the Santiago Monorail, assuring that people will be able to board the trains in December of this year under the “white run test” modality.
The announcement comes amid high local expectations and a history of rescheduling in the delivery timeline for this mega railway structure, which is intended to transform transportation in the capital of the Cibao region.
During an intense day of supervision at the monorail workshops and the underground station in the monumental area, President Luis Abinader confirmed the project’s progress, which now stands at 92.6% overall execution, just over four years after construction began.
A new date has been set for the launch of the Santiago monorail.
The president detailed the capabilities of the Maintenance and Control Center, explaining that the infrastructure is nearly ready, lacking only minor details, and that it will have the capacity to house and operate about 15 trains simultaneously at night.
The executive director of the Trust for the Development of the Mass Transit System (Fitram), Jhael Isa Tavárez, specified that the civil works will be completed in August, giving way to dynamic tests of train movement between stations E1 and E11 during the last quarter of the year, before receiving new units in December to begin passenger journeys.
However, this is not the first time the authorities have set a timeframe for the delivery of the mass transit system, having missed at least three previous deadlines that had to be rescheduled.
Subsequently, the schedule was readjusted to inaugurate the first commercial section (from Cienfuegos to Las Antillas) between February and March 2025, during which movement tests were conducted, but public access was not opened.
Last year, the official target date for the completion of its first phase was set at 2025, a projection that has now been pushed back to the last month of 2026 with this new announcement. Fitram has attributed some of these delays to unforeseen urban developments and modifications to the original route, as occurred in the Reparto Universitario sector at the request of the community members themselves.
President’s Agenda
Following the train journey, President Abinader completed an extensive additional tour in Santiago, which included a lunch meeting with students from local polytechnic institutes. There, the president distributed laptops and instructed the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCyT) to begin evaluating scholarship applications from the fifth year of high school onward to prevent students from losing an academic year upon graduation. He also announced plans to construct an ITLA campus in the province.
The president also inaugurated the expansion and renovation of the Dr. Antonio Fernández Municipal Hospital in Monte Adentro, a project with an investment exceeding RD$103.9 million, bringing the total number of healthcare facilities renovated by the National Health Service (SNS) nationwide to 113. In that same setting, Abinader announced that the Licey al Medio Municipal Hospital will be completed next September.
Other works
The day concluded with the inauguration of the quasi-Parish of San Benito Abad, and an inspection visit to the construction of the new building of the Santiago Fire Department.
The president also oversaw the construction of the fire station in the El Dorado sector, a project that the mayor’s office says is underway.
This Saturday, the governor’s official agenda will continue in this province with the delivery of new works and meetings with productive and community sectors of the region.
The day concluded with the inauguration of the quasi-Parish of San Benito Abad, and an inspection visit to the construction of the new building of the Santiago Fire Department.
The president also oversaw the construction of the fire station in the El Dorado sector, a project that the mayor’s office says is underway.
This Saturday, the governor’s official agenda will continue in this province with the delivery of new works and meetings with productive and community sectors of the region.
