STYLEPARK DOPPELMAYR/GARAVENTA
Connecting Lines
On 11 July 2021, Mexico City's Cablebús Línea 1 was opened by mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. Since then, Doppelmayr's aerial cableway line, which is almost 10 kilometres long, has been an important building block in the megacity's mobility concept. The Cablebús Línea 1 has created efficient and practical new connections within the urban public transport system and is an elementary component in improving the social balance in Mexico City. "For us, the cableway is not only a mobility project, but a social one as well. We want to offer the people in our city the best public transport we can, and we're starting where improvements are urgently needed," mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo said about the project.
Mexico City is thus using functioning transport concepts and proven technology for the implementation of cableways in public transport. In Europe, there are only a few examples of urban cableways thus far, such as in Luxembourg, Toulouse and the planned Câble 1 line in Île-de-France/Paris, whereas in Central and South American metropolises cableways are already an integral part of the respective transport networks. As a transport solution, cableways have several advantages, such as a shorter construction time and less consumption of land than either rail or road transport systems. They can easily overcome obstacles, are not affected by traffic congestion and are available at frequent intervals. In addition, the investment and operating costs are lower in relation to other transport systems such as trams and metro trains. In addition, cableways can largely be operated autonomously, with a comprehensive digital automation of all operational processes. Finally, they offer the possibility of a multimodal linking and supplementing of existing transport systems to create a more seamless transition between individual means of transport. This is exemplified by Cablebús Línea 1, which is now completely integrated into the public transport network and designed to be barrier-free, making it accessible to everyone. It takes passengers directly to Indios Verdes, one of the city's largest transport hubs, where they can transfer to the bus and metro trains. This cuts travel time for commuters by up to half, as the cableway allows them to float over traffic jams.
With a total of six stations and 377 10-person cabins, the Cablebús Línea 1 can transport up to 4,000 people per hour and direction, meaning that nearly 50,000 passengers per day now benefit from this connection. At the same time, the cableway's capacity is still not yet being completely made use of, as it was designed to meet future requirements. In the Cuautepec district, the Cablebús Línea 1 has created new connections, while its circulating operation ensures that the cabins are always available. According to Konstantinos Panagiotou, the CEO of Doppelmayr Mexico, the performance of the cableway has thus provided better access to jobs, schools and training opportunities. In 2021 another cableway line was also added to Cablebús Línea 1: Cablebús Línea 2 in the district of Iztapalapa in the southeast of the Mexico City metropolitan region connects two underground lines and runs for a total length of almost 11 kilometres. And in the future, Mexico City's local transport will be extended by yet another line, the Cablebús Línea 3, which will connect the districts of Los Pinos and Vasco de Quiroga over a distance of 5.42 kilometres. Six Doppelmayr stations will be built along this line, with completion scheduled for December 2023.
Among other things, the new cableway line will run near the Chapultepec Forest, which is one of the city's popular recreational destinations. The Cablebús Línea 3 should therefore not only contribute to an improvement of public transport, but also help to optimise its accessibility. "With this third line we're pursuing the goal of boosting both mobility and tourism. For example, it will improve access to the eleven cultural projects related to the Chapultepec Nature and Culture project, as well as to the four sections of the Chapultepec park. Line 3 is a wonderful project," added mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo when talking about the new cableway. Cablebús Línea 3 has also been designed as a multimodal transport solution: For this purpose, a connection to the Tren Interurbano train, which is currently under construction, and the Metro Constituyentes underground station is planned. A total of 12 million passengers per year will be able to use the cableway line after its completion, with each cabin equipped with 10 seats and offering WLAN use. The Cablebús Línea 3 is thus another building block in Mexico City that will help connect the city's urban fabric, upgrade the neighbourhoods served by it and transform the public transport system as it strives to become more sustainable.
