Chile: transport fiasco

Transantiago, the Chilean capital's ill-fated new public transport system, will complete its first year of operations on Sunday.

The anniversary is sure to revive criticism of a policy failure seen as emblematic of a government already widely regarded as inept. Transantiago was launched hastily, before its components were in place, and without sufficient public information.  Changes designed to reduce road congestion provoked insufficient frequencies and severe overcrowding, leading commuters to switch to cars, undermining efforts to reduce traffic and pollution.  Moreover, it has been running a deficit of some 40 million dollars a month, which the government has had to cover.

The new system has not only failed to live up to its ambitious promises but has also performed far worse than even critics anticipated, becoming a focal point for dissatisfaction with the beleaguered government of President Michelle Bachelet.  Government politicians, who identify Transantiago as by far the worst public-policy mistake of the Concertacion, the centre-left coalition that has held power since 1990, fear a negative impact in the next presidential election next year. Transantiago has, moreover, damaged the popularity of former President Ricardo Lagos, one of the Concertacion's potential candidates, due to his responsibility for its design.