Rail Transport in Puerto Rico - Tren Urbano

Tren Urbano

The Tren Urbano is a heavy-rail commuter metro system serving the cities of Bayamón, Guaynabo and San Juan. It is the only active rail system serving the general public in Puerto Rico, with 16 stations along a 10.7-mile (17.2 km) route. It is electrified by third rail at 750 V, d.c.. The line's construction started in July 1996 with the purpose of relieving traffic congestion in the San Juan metropolitan area, and was inaugurated January 2005 to mixed reactions. With a final estimated cost of $2.25 billion, nearly $1 billion more than original estimates, the project has been criticized by government watchdogs, especially for its low passenger use of approximately 24,000 daily passengers (2005 est.), compared with original projections of 80,000.

Upon its inaugural opening, there were initial plans to extend the Tren Urbano rail system to outlying suburbs of the San Juan metro area, including a light interurban rail system from San Juan to Caguas originally scheduled to be completed in 2010, however these designs have not been finalized and no construction work has commenced yet. The proposed Caguas rail project remains postponed as of July 2009.

Read more about this topic:  Rail Transport In Puerto Rico