TREN URBANO

The 'Tren Urbano' — the 'Urban Train' in English — is a 10.7 mile (17.2 km) fully automated metro system in Puerto Rico which links the municipalities of San Juan, Bayamón, and Guaynabo. It is electrified by third rail at 750 V, d.c.. At present the Tren Urbano is composed of 16 stations, ten of which are elevated, four at grade or in open cuttings, and two underground. A maintenance depot and operations control centre is being provided halfway along the route, at Martínez Nadal Station. Each of the 16 stations boasts unique artwork and architectural style.
The Tren Urbano complements other forms of public transportation on the island such as the public bus system, taxis, water ferries and shuttles. The entire mass transportation system has been dubbed the “Alternativa de Transporte Integrado” (Integrated Transportation Alternative) or “ATI”.

Contents

History

Return of rail transit

Stations

Fares

Future plans

References

See also

External links

History

In the late 19th century while the island was under Spanish rule, regional rail systems started to be built in Puerto Rico. The railroad continued to be in use for the most part of the first half of the 20th century and played a key role in the transportation of people and goods throughout the island. The railroad systems of the period also played a vital role in the sugarcane industry.
From 1901 to 1946 San Juan had a street tramway network (“Trolley” de San Juan) operated by the Porto Rico Railway, Light and Power Company ^[1] with more than 32 km (20 miles) of tracks and ran between San Juan and Santurce. During its heyday, it was the most modern electric streetcar system in Puerto Rico, rivaling New York and Toronto and transported nearly 10 million passengers a year. Today there are plans to bring back the tram to the heart of San Juan to complement the Tren Urbano.
During the 1950s an industrial boom, due in part to development programs such as Operation Bootstrap, led to the downfall of agriculture as the principal industry on the island. During this decade automobiles became more widely available. Newer, and more efficient roads and highways along with the closure of sugarcane mills displaced the need for rail transportation. It was not long that it was realized that an alternative means of mass transportation was needed in addition to the public bus system to aliviate the severe traffic situation that was being created, especially in the San Juan metropolitan area.

Return of rail transit

In 1967 proposals were made for the construction of a rapid rail transit system to serve the city of San Juan. It was not until 1989 that Puerto Rico's Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) officially proposed the construction of a new rail system. The train system was dubbed the “Tren Urbano”, Spanish for “Urban Train”. In 1993, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) selected the Tren Urbano as one of the Turnkey Demonstration Projects under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. During 1996 and 1997, seven design-build contracts were awarded for different segments of the Tren Urbano Phase 1 system.
A number of companies shared the tasks for building the Tren Urbano including Siemens AG which was granted a concession to design and build the line and its rolling stock, and to operate it for the first five years. The company won a contract which was a “first” for North America in the scope of the work which it involved, and which was awarded in July 1996.
The construction project was plagued by delays, contractual disputes between the government and companies involved in the undertaking, as well as investigations into possible mismanagement of funds. The project cost has been estimated around USD $2.25 billion. The rail system was officially inaugurated on December 17, 2004. After this date, free service was offered on weekends until April, 2005 when weekdays were added to the free service. Popularity grew quickly and by the end of the free period 40,000 people were using the train on a daily basis. By late 2005, ridership had fallen to 24,000, less than one-third of the 80,000 projection (and well below the projection of 110,000 for 2010).^[2]
Paid fare service started on June 6, 2005. 2006 has reported a 7.5% increase in ridership over 2005. A customer service center is located in the Martínez Nadal Station. The “Tren Urbano” is the only Metro in the Caribbean.

Stations

Tren Urbano has 16 stations:


★ Sagrado Corazón (Sagrado Corazón)

★ Hato Rey (Golden Mile)

★ Roosevelt (Golden Mile)

★ Domenech

★ Piñero

★ Universidad (Río Piedras / University of Puerto Rico)

★ Río Piedras (Río Piedras)

★ Cupey

★ Centro Médico

★ San Francisco

★ Las Lomas

★ Martínez Nadal

★ Torrimar

★ Jardines

★ Deportivo

★ Bayamón
The maintenance and service yards are located between Martínez Nadal and Torrimar stations.

Fares

A single trip costs $1.50 ($0.75 if you transfer from an AMA bus) including a 2 hour bus transfer period. If you exit the station and wish to get back on the train the full fare must be re-paid; there is no train to train transfer period. Students and Seniors (60-74 years old) pay 75 cents per trip. Senior citizens older than 75 and children under 6 ride for free. Several unlimited passes are also available.

Future plans

At present there are proposals to extend the rail system service to other municipalities such as Carolina (two tunnels, each 1,282 ft (42 meters) in length south of the Río Piedras Station are already built for this purpose ^[3]) and extending the Phase I route to the San Juan district of Santurce through another underground segment below the Ponce de León Avenue. Other proposals include extending the rail system to Old San Juan and the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.
Already approved is a a new “light intercity rail system” from 'San Juan to Caguas'. The new line will include 2 stops in Caguas that will connect the Tren Urbano in San Juan with the Cupey or Centro Médico Station. Work will begin in early 2008 and is expected to end late 2009 or early 2010.

References

1. Canadian Transit Interests Outside Canada
2. Tren Urbano PR another way low transit ridership forecast, TOLLROADSNews, November 20, 2005, accessed April 13, 2007.
3. American Underground-Construction Association

See also

★ Rail transport in Puerto Rico

★ Transportation in Puerto Rico

★ List of rapid transit systems

★ Rail transport

★ Metro systems by annual passenger rides

External links

★ Tren Urbano Home Page

★ Urge darle vida al Tren Urbano – Editorial de El Nuevo Día

★ Railway Technology – Tren Urbano Rapid Rail System

★ Urban Transport Technology – San Juan

★ FHWA Says Benefits Highly Localized

★ Puerto Rico Public Art Project – Tren Urbano – Photos and information related to the artwork located on each of the train route's stations

★ Siemens