Railways in the

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic, which forms the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola, should not be confused with the island Commonwealth of Dominica.

A train on line 2 of the Santo Domingo metro crosses the bridge over the Rio Ozama, heading towards Concepción Bona

The first railways in the Dominican Republic emerged in the early 20th century, serving the sugar cane industry. Several disconnected networks arose, using a variety of gauges. There was no rail connection with neighbouring Haïti.

Two groups of sugar cane railways remain in operation: a metre gauge network centred on Barahona, and a 350km standard gauge network centred on la Romana.

The capital, Santo Domingo, has a two line light rail Metro, the first section of which opened in 2008. It is built to standard (1435mm) gauge.

In 2022, contracts were let for the construction of a monorail in Santiago de los Caballeros.

In 2022, a proposal emerged for a new 150km passenger railway connecting Santo Domingo and Punta Cana. The project received government approval in 2023. If successful, other lines will follow.

• CAC sugar production around Barahona
• Central Romana sugar production around la Romana
• Santo Domingo
  • Metro (Site in Spanish)
  • proposed monorail
• Santiago de los Caballeros proposed monorail