90% of the interdepartmental bus transport lines of Uruguay recovered their pre-pandemic levels Covid-19, as reported by the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MTOP). The remaining 10% would do so at the beginning of next year.
Almost four years after the Covid-19 pandemic began, interdepartmental bus lines return to the levels they had prior to the exceptional situation that the appearance and spread of the virus generated throughout the world and in the country. As explained by the director of the Internal Management Area of the MTOP, Diego Vergara, Between January and February 2024, 100% of the lines will have been fully recovered.
According to the statement released by the portfolio area directed by José Luis Falerolines passenger transport of interdepartmental buses have been growing since it was terminated in Uruguay the Covid-19 pandemic. This increase becomes relevant at times when the tourist season looms towards the end of the year.
In turn, Vergara highlighted the work of the ministry to achieve the normal in interdepartmental transport again, and highlighted the new lines that allow the circulation of passenger transport to increase from now on in the National territory.
“These new lines are those that go from Rivera until Punta del Esteof Mello to Punta del Este, Montevideo-Punta del Este on route 101 and on route 8, Montevideo-Chuy by Lascano and the ones from Rivera and Artigas on route 5 and on route 30,” he detailed in the statement.
The emergence and reactivation of interdepartmental bus transportation lines are vital for the country, as pointed out by the director of the Interior Management Area. “Most of the time they occur thanks to the work of the mayors of the interested departments, as well as mayors and neighborhood associations with whom the MTOP is in constant contact. dialogue”, considered.
Projects for interdepartmental circulation
While the interdepartmental bus lines continue to improve their service to reach pre-pandemic levels, the MTOP works on other projects that seek to bring relief to the interdepartmental circulation, mainly in the metropolitan area, between Montevideo and Cannelloni.
One of them is the train-tram that will connect both metropolitan departments, and whose construction will begin in 2025.
“As in 400 cities of more or less 2 million inhabitants in the world, precisely what it does is move away from an atomized system, as we have today of bus lines ‘stacked up’ in some axes to a trunk-fed system,” he said. Alejandro Ruibal, commercial and operations vice president Scaeem, about.
And he added: “It is a change, it is a new breaking of paradigms and it is a change that is going to come no matter what, because today with the Central Railway functioning, it is logical that we think about a Train-Tram to the east.”
As a parallel project there is also the Interspa Highway, whose objective is to decongest traffic by 45% in the Interspa Route. The project under study proposes the construction of a 20-kilometer stretch from the vicinity of the Interbalnearia Route to Route 8, passing over Route 34 and 107.
Source: Ambito
