Bolivia is tripling the size of its subway in the sky

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia is tripling the size of its subway in the sky
Sarah Marsh Tomorrow at 8:16 AM


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Passengers board cable cars at the Jacha Kathu station in El Alto
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LA PAZ (Reuters) – Bolivia already has the largest urban cable car system in the world. Now the booming country is tripling the size of the network and will soon have nine lines whizzing above the administrative capital of La Paz.

The Andean city of 1.8 million has long struggled with chaotic transport. Minibuses and taxis with handwritten signs in their windscreens pick up passengers randomly along winding, congested routes. But in the last two years, aided by growing state revenues from natural gas and mining, President Evo Morales’ leftist government has built a cable car system it sees as the cornerstone of a modern transport network: a subway in the sky.

State company “Mi Teleferico” (“My Cable Car”) now operates three lines, including two linking La Paz with the satellite city of El Alto. It has started work on new routes that will take the network from 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) to 30 kilometers.

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The silent, electrically powered cable cars with built-in wifi and panoramic views of the Andes might make transport systems in other metropolises look outdated. Though cities such as Colombia’s Medellin also boast cable car lines, none are as extensive.

More:
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/r-bolivia-is-tripling-the-size-of-its-subway-in-the-sky-2015-7

[Warpy]

1. Neat! Ours is the longest unsupported one

with just 2 towers going from 6600 feet to over 10,660 feet and over jagged, inhospitable terrain. It's a spectacular ride crossing several climate zones, occasionally allowing great views of wildlife.

Using it for urban transportation is a neat idea, too, allowing one to ride up above the traffic instead of in it.