Metrocable (Medellin)
| Metrocable | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Status | Operational |
| Character | Gondola lift |
| Location | Medellín, Colombia |
| Open | 2004 (Line K) |
| Operation | |
| Operator | Metro de Medellín |
| Technical features | |
| Line length | 2,072 m (6,798 ft) (Line K) |
| Operating speed | 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) |
| Notes | elevation: 399 m (1,309 ft) Electric motor powering cable bullwheel |
Metrocable is a gondola lift system implemented by the City Council of Medellín, Colombia, with the purpose of providing a complementary transportation service to that of Medellín's Metro. It was designed to reach some of the city's informal settlements on the steep hills that mark its topography. It is largely considered to be the first urban cable propelled transit system in South America. There were plans in the city for some decades before its inception for some form of transportation that took account of the difficult topography of the region. These ideas date back to the use of cable-car technology for exporting coffee starting in the 1930s between the city of Manizales, to the south of Medellin, and the river Cauca 2,000 metres below. In its modern incarnation, it was the result of a joint effort between the city's elected mayor and the Metro Company. For some, the initial conception of this system was indirectly inspired by the Caracas Aerial Tramway (also known as the Mount Avila Gondola) which was designed primarily to carry passengers to a luxury hotel.
Line K of the Metrocable connecting the Medellin River valley to the steep hills in Comunas (districts) 1 and 2, was the first system in the world dedicated to public transport, with a fixed service schedule. Since starting operations in 2004, it carries 30,000 people daily and is operationally integrated into the rest of Medellin's mass transit system, which includes the overground Metro, bus rapid transit system (BRT) and a tramway line (opened in 2016).
As of 2010, the Medellin Metrocable system contained three lines, namely Line K, Line J and Line L (Cable Arvi). Two lines, Line H and line M, are under construction as of 2015. Overall, the system has been received with enthusiasm by the locals, who are mainly low-income users and are prepared to queue for up to 45 minutes at peak times to use it. It has also served as inspiration to a rapidly growing number of similar systems in cities in Latin America (Rio de Janeiro, Caracas, La Paz, Manizales, Cali, Bogotá, Mexico City, among others) and elsewhere.
Medellín is located in the Aburra Valley and is surrounded by hills. Many of those hills are home to underdeveloped barrios (asentamientos informales), which due to their location cannot be reached by Medellín's biggest mass transportation system Metro. Many of these barrios are in fact located in very steep grounds to the extent that not even a regular bus system could be either useful or commercially profitable. Before the implementation of the Metrocable Line K, residents of the Santo Domingo Savio barrio spent upwards of 2 1⁄2 hours commuting to work each way.
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