Transport in the Dominican Republic

=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 Convert|12600|km|mi|0|abbr=on of highways and roads, 6,224 being paved and Convert|6376|km|mi|0|abbr=on (1996 est.) unpaved. Like any underdeveloped nation, the Dominican Republic suffers from lack of good paved roads to connect smaller towns and less populated areas, major town roads however are in good condition.

Public transport

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"/ Carros de "conchar")

The Public Car (“Carros Públicos”) system 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 transit the roads, and the fact that they do not lend itself to regulation or central control, which causes frequent transit problems among city roads. They may also be somewhat uncomfortable, since they try to fit as much people as possible inside them (EG:9 people in an old 5 passenger car)

Mass Transit

The Santo Domingo Metro will be the first mass transit system in the country, and second in the Caribbean & Central American nations after San Juan's Tren Urbano. Commercial service is said to start close to November 2008. On Feb 27th 2008 the incumbent president Leonel Fernandez test rided the system for the first time ever. 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.

Railways

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

Central Romana Railroad was established in 1911 in the sugarcane fields. The total length of the line is Convert|757|km|mi|0|abbr=on, Convert|375|km|mi|0|abbr=on being the standard 1.435-m gauge.

The Dominican Republic Government Railway is a Convert|142|km|mi|0|abbr=on 0.762-m narrow gauge.

There are Convert|240|km|mi|0|abbr=on operated by other sugarcane companies in various gauges: 0.558-m, 0.762-m, 1.067-m gauges (1995)

Ports and harbours

Major ports and harbours in the Dominican Republic:
* Azua de Compostela
* Bajos de Haina
* Baní
* Boca Chica
* Casa de Campo Marina
* Caucedo - www.Caucedo.com
* La Romana
* Luperón Harbor
* Manzanillo (Pepillo Salcedo)
* Marina Punta Cana
* Punta Caucedo
* Samana
* San Felipe de Puerto Plata
* San Pedro de Macorís
* Santa Cruz de Barahona
* Santo Domingo

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

Merchant marine:

*Total:
**1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587 GRT/DWT|1,165|metric|first=yes
*Ships by type:
**cargo 1 (1999 est.)

Entering the Ports

Boaters and sailors who with to dock in any of DR's ports must follow certain entry requirements:
* Upon approaching the port, ships must display a quarantine flag, which has the letter 'Q' on it, and wait for admittance into the port.
* The passengers of the vessel must pay a fee, get a tourist card, and show proper identification including a valid passport.
* Military officials must sometimes grant the passengers clearance to come ashore.

Airports

There are 5 major and 27 minor airports in the DR (1999):

* Las Américas International Airport, Santo Domingo
* Punta Cana International Airport, Punta Cana / Higüey
* Cibao International Airport, Santiago
* Gregorio Luperón International Airport, Puerto Plata
* La Romana International Airport, La Romana City, La Romana

Airports - with paved runways:

*Total: 10 (1999 est.)
**"Over 3,047 m": 3
**"2,438 to 3,047 m": 1
**"1,524 to 2,437 m": 4
**"914 to 1,523 m": 3
**"under 914 m": 2

Airports - with unpaved runways:

*Total: 15 (1999 est.)
**"1,524 to 2,437 m:" 2
**"914 to 1,523 m:" 4
**"under 914 m:" 9

National Airline

* Dominicana de Aviacion used to be the country's national airline for a large period of time. Due to economic crisis, however, this title has been passed on to various other companies after Dominicana stopped flying. Currently, the national flag carrier is Caribair.
* The new Flag Carrier for the DR is Air Dominicana, created in May, 2006 by the government, some Dominican investors and the airline Air Europa from Spain.

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

* Dominican Republic
* Puerto Plata Airport

External links

* [http://www.godominicanrepublic.com Dominican Republic] - Ministry of Tourism, Official Site

References