Tren Urbano

History

In the late 19th century while the island was under Spanish rule, regional rail systems were begun in Puerto Rico. The railroad continued to be in use under US rule for most 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 known as “Trolley” de San Juan operated by the Porto Rico Railway, Light and Power Company with more than 20 miles (32 km) 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 alleviate the severe traffic situation that was being created, especially in the San Juan metropolitan area.

Proposals

In 1967, proposals were made for the construction of a rapid rail transit system to serve the city of San Juan. In 1971, the major T.U.S.C.A. study—funded jointly by the Puerto Rico Planning Board and the U.S. federal government— recommended an island wide, elevated transit system and new community development program. That proposal would have traversed and also served the San Juan Metro Area, connecting it with the rest of the island without the necessity of highway construction. However, it was not until 1989 that Puerto Rico’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas or DTOP in Spanish) officially adopted a proposal to begin design and construction of a rail system for the San Juan metropolitan area. The ridership demand for such a system had to be forecast using a mathematical model prepared by a team of transportation planners and engineers. By 1992, various alignments of the proposed system were considered, but the final design chosen served only certain parts of the metro area, and not Old San Juan. The name "Tren Urbano" (Urban Train) was chosen for the system. In 1993, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) selected it as a 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.

Construction

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 was US $2.28 billion.

Free service

The rail system was officially inaugurated on December 19, 2004 (2004-12-19). 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, however, 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).

Paid service

Paid fare service started on June 6, 2005 (2005-06-06). In 2006, average weekday boardings stood at 28,179 and in 2007, ridership decreased to 27,567. Nonetheless, by the third quarter of 2008 average weekday ridership had increased to 36,500.

Issues and concerns

The Tren Urbano has no service to Old San Juan, Santurce, the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (nor to many other parts of Guaynabo, Bayamón, and San Juan), and doesn't serve important suburbs like Cataño, Toa Baja, Toa Alta, Carolina, Trujillo Alto, Canóvanas and others, which helps to explain low ridership. Some question the viability of this system for additional reasons, such as the lack of an island-wide public-transportation system, such as the T.U.S.C.A. system proposed in 1971. The inner-city, public bus transportation system—the Metropolitan Bus Authority (AMA)—that operates in the Greater San Juan Metro Area is considered unreliable by most people, and it does not have a regular schedule. Integration with public mass transit systems, such as the AMA and the Acuaexpreso (an urban ferry), was initially poor and remains a challenge for the DTOP.

Route

Tren Urbano is currently made up of a single rapid transit route. It consists of 16 stations, ten of which are elevated, four at grade or in open cuttings, and two underground. Ironically, the Tren Urbano goes mostly through suburban areas. All stations are designed to handle three permanently coupled pairs (6 vehicles). The stations in the system are:

Each of the 16 stations boasts unique artwork and architectural style.

A maintenance depot and operations control center is located halfway along the route, between Martínez Nadal station and Torrimar station.

Fares

A single trip costs $1.50 ($1.50 if customers transfer from an AMA bus) including a 1-hour bus transfer period. If a customer exits the station and wants 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.

A stored-value multi-use farecard may be used for travel on buses as well as on trains. The value on the card is automatically deducted each time it is used. It is a system similar to the MetroCard system used in New York City.

Rolling stock

Tren Urbano's fleet consists of 74 Siemens, stainless steel-bodied cars, each 75 feet (23 m) long. Each vehicle carries 72 seated and 108 standing passengers. Trains have a maximum speed of 62 miles per hour (100 km/h), and average 20.6 miles per hour (33.2 km/h) including stops. All cars operate as married pairs and up to three pairs will run together at any time. Tren Urbano currently operates 15 trains during rush hours, while the remaining cars stand at the yards or serve as backup should a train experience problems.

Power is provided by AC traction motors, chosen over DC as they contain fewer moving parts and require less maintenance. The trains share many characteristics with the stock built by Siemens for Boston MBTA's Blue Line route. It is electrified by third rail at 750 V DC.

Air-conditioning systems have been specially designed to cope with the hot and muggy conditions commonly experienced in the metropolitan area.

Bus terminals

There are five bus terminals located at certain train stations that connect most of the San Juan metropolitan area. These are:

Sagrado Corazón station

Bus terminal is located at the south entrance of the station:

Piñero station

Cupey station

Martínez Nadal station

Bayamón station

Expansion plans

The infrastructure of the Tren Urbano, with stations built for six–car train sets and a minimum headway of 90 seconds, has a maximum capacity of 40,000 passengers per hour per direction, compared to 3,000 passengers per hour per direction for the current peak hour 8 minute headway and 4-car trains, and to an actual daily ridership of roughly 40,000 commuters. The train system is thus working at 13.33 per cent capacity, and also well under the 110,000 rail passengers planned by 2010.

In addition, with a fleet of 74 rail vehicles in the local yard to cover at least double the 10.7 miles (17.2 km) system length, and with all the basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning in place, it is indispensable that the train be extended as it was originally intended to include higher-density areas of the central district for it to be operationally successful and sustainable.

The Puerto Rico's Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) plans include:

Phase 1A

Phase 2

Other projects

There are several projects to improve public transport connectivity: