EMBARQ Expert Takes Second Look at Controversial Transantiago System

According to Dario Hidalgo, Transantiago is now showing signs that it will make good on its promise to improve transport and overall quality of life in the Chilean capital

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 | Santiago, Chile

Transport services are beginning to improve in the Chilean capital.  Photo by Dario Hidalgo.

Within the transport and urban planning world, the story of Transantiago -- Santiago, Chile’s troubled transportation system -- serves as a cautionary tale for the risks involved in undertaking radical urban improvement projects.  However, according to EMBARQ transport expert Dario Hidalgo, Transantiago is now showing signs that it will make good on its promise to improve transport and overall quality of life in the Chilean capital.

One of the developing world’s most ambitious transport reforms ever, Transantiago involved the creation of 200km of dedicated bus lanes, a sweeping reorganization of the city’s bus schedules and routes, and the introduction of a citywide integrated fare collection system.  However, the massive undertaking was plagued from the start by planning flaws and a botched implementation process that resulted in seemingly interminable delays, and even street riots.  The scenes of chaos caused many experts to wonder if the idea of rapid, “big bang” urban transport transformations was inherently misguided.

During a recent World Bank-sponsored trip to Santiago to examine the new system, Dr. Hidalgo found a number of reasons to hope that Transantiago will ultimately be considered a world class integrated transport system.  According to Hidalgo, while there is still much room for improvement, Transantiago officials’s hard work over the last year has solved many of the system’s most egregious problems and improved the service’s quality and efficiency.  In fact, as a result of renegotiation of service contracts, a 42% increase in the size of the bus fleet, the introduction of new control technologies to supervise service, and the construction of additional dedicated busways and integration stations, commercial speeds are higher, waiting times are lower and buses are much less crowded throughout the metropolitan area.