A decade of the cable car that connects two cities and transports 200 thousand people a day

He Cableway that connects the cities of El Alto, located at 4,090 meters above sea level, and La Peaceat 3,600 meters, in Bolivia, turns 10 this Tuesday. According to authorities, it has transported more than 520 million passengers and currently moves 200,000 people a day.

For the inhabitants of La Paz, seat of the Government of Bolivia, and for the residents of El Alto, a rapidly growing city where the majority of people are of the Aymara ethnic group, the cable car as a means of transportation marked a cultural and social milestone.

Juana Mamani, a 51-year-old informal merchant, told EFE that before the inauguration of this transportation, it took an hour and she spent more money to get from El Alto to La Paz, where she has a candy stand.

“Now I arrive in 10 or 15 minutes from the red cable car station (…) I arrive home earlier to be with my grandchildren,” said the merchant.

According to the World Bank, the population in poverty in the Andean country is 36%this is why the price of the cable car is a relief for hundreds of families.

With three bolivianos (0.40 dollars) for adults, and for half the price for children and the elderly, you can travel distances of up to 4.5 kilometers in 16 minutes.

It also holds a record for being the longest in the world, with the 30.5 kilometer length of the cable carrying 1,403 cabins.

The cable car also arose as a response to the topography of La Paz, a city located in a ravine with large ravines, 420 meters below El Alto.

According to an estimate by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in a study on this transportation in Bolivia, citizens who use the cable car save an average of 22% of the time they use in other means of transportation.

While it is a great attraction for tourists, and an easy way to get to know the city, it is common to see visitors leaning against the windows of the cabins taking photographs of the snow-capped Mount Illimani, 6,438 meters high, or the Chualluma neighborhood, with 150 meters. houses painted with vibrant colors.

Bernard, a 46-year-old Frenchman who traveled with his wife and two children to La Paz, told EFE that the experience of moving on the cable car is “incredible”.

“When you overcome the fear of heights, it is a great way to get to know this city,” the tourist mentioned, smiling, as he climbed into a cabin on the Celeste Line.

Constant growth

There are ten different lines that move the cabins around the city and each one is named with a color: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, White, Orange, Silver, Brown and Purple.

In 2014, during the administration of former president Evo Morales (2006-2019), the transportation system was inaugurated, with a cost of more than 234 million dollars in its first three lines. The project has an estimated lifespan of 40 years.

This month the Bolivian Senate authorized a loan of 62 million dollars to expand the Brown Line of the cable car.

According to Alejandro Gonzales, manager of Mi Teleférico, the company in charge of transportation, this expansion “It will improve the quality of life of more than 135,000 residents, since it will be able to transport around 11,00 passengers a day.””.

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