Alex Hutchinson writes that while the TransMilenio was a runaway success, only about half the system is completed and the rest has been an uphill battle:
"The original TransMilenio plans for 2011 anticipated 170 kilometers of lanes. Instead, Bogota is currently coping with 84 kilometers of completed lanes, with an additional 20 kilometers under construction. While Phase I of the system was implemented seemingly overnight in two years, phases II and III have been delayed, taking 5 years and 7 years to start, respectively. The 20 kilometers of Phase III currently under construction are already 1.5 years behind schedule, with an estimated completion date of 2012, aggravating Bogotanos whose city is mired in public works projects."
Thanks to Alex Hutchinson
Comments
Despite a high capacty
Despite a high capacty (busiest line is 45,000 ppdph), like all of the other high-demand systems in the world TransMilenio has been bursting at the seams for a while now - and has been called TransMi-lleno (full) for years. They can't get those lines in fast enough, and maybe even ought to consider a second N-S dedicated transit spine running exactly parallel a few blocks west of the main Ave Caracas line to relieve some pressure. It could anchor a revitalization and growth district between the two, rather than allowing more farmland-eating westward sprawl of gated high and lowrise suburbs. They also misjudged how heavy the buses would be, and it is running slower becuase the ROWs weren't reinforced properly and are degrading.
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