Mérida cable car

The Mérida Cable Car (Spanish: Teleférico de Mérida) or Mukumbarí is a cable car system in Venezuela. Its base is located in the Venezuelan city of Mérida at an altitude of 1,640 metres (5,380 ft), and its terminus is on Pico Espejo, at 4,765 metres (15,633 ft). It is the highest and second longest cable car in the world for just 500 meters, but is in first place for being the only one which combined such height and length. Mérida Cable Car is a journey of 12.5 kilometers, reaching a height of 4,765 meters, making it an engineering marvel that is one of a kind and has over 40 years of history. The whole system was opened to the public in 1960; it was closed indefinitely in 2008, with a declaration that it had reached the end of its service life and is being rebuilt. In 2011 it began a project of total modernization of the cable car which promised to become the most modern in the world. In April 2016 it re-opened its doors to the public.

The Mérida Cable Car is made up of four cable cars connected serially, making it easy to move across 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi) and overcome the rugged terrain between the city of Mérida and the Espejo Peak.

Each section of the route has two lanes, in each lane there is a cable-car that has a capacity to transport 36 passengers. The cable-car moves at a velocity of 5 metres per second (18 km/h; 11 mph) thanks to the suspended cable that was run by an engine. There are two different engines: the first in the La Montaña station that serves to the section between that station and the La Aguada station. The other one is located in the Loma Redonda station and serves the rest of the sections.

This technological achievement emerged from a project of the former Andean Venezuelan Club (Club Andino Venezolano) in 1952, and its purpose was to make it easier for tourists and Andeans to ascend to the Sierra Nevada de Mérida. The idea was approved by the national government. In 1955 were started the topographic studies that would allow the design of the project and its immediate construction. In December 1956 the route towards the mountains was first traced.

On November 8, 1957, the first car of the Loading System arrived to La Aguada, overcoming the natural barriers of the Andean forests. Even if the inauguration was initially set amidst the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the city, it was never made official because of the death of Pius XII. In the end, the system opened to the public in March 1960.

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Wikipedia