Post by nickchu

A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of cable cars, urban gondolas and cable propelled transit:

• In the span of approximately one month since the inauguration of Linea Roja, La Paz’s first urban gondola has transported 1,000,000 passengers, or roughly 36,000 riders per day. If these statistics are accurate, Linea Roja may be one of the world’s busiest urban cable cars.

• Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan and city of 1.4 million, will soon see the construction of a new cable car to Kok-Tobe. Kok-Tobe is the highest point in the city and is a popular attraction — it has several amusement rides and even a Beatles monument! Today, the existing cable car is too slow and wait times are too high. French cable car manufacturer POMA has signed a MOU with local officials and work is expected to start in September.

• Latest news reports from Squamish indicate that ridership on the Sea to Sky Gondola is higher than expected. Two months since it opened, 70,000 passengers have already ridden the cable car. The system is so popular that overflow parking at other nearby sites had to be used. Talks of connecting the gondola to Squamish’s bus network and a bike trail are also underway.