With the opening of the Orange Line (Spanish: Línea Naranja), La Paz is one step closer to completing the city’s urban cable car masterplan — Metropolitan Integration Network (Spanish: Red de Integración Metropolitana or RIM).
After Bolivian President Evo Morales inspected the system on Wednesday, the 2.6km Orange Line became the fifth system in La Paz to start commercial operations (the second system this year after the 5km Blue Line) and is one of eleven Cable Propelled Transit (CPT) lines found in the RIM masterplan.
Designed with a capacity of 3,000 pphpd and 127 cabins, the new ropeway is projected to transport 25,000 – 30,000 passengers daily. Since the system is connected with the Red Line and upcoming White Line (due to open in March 2017), officials estimate that it will spur many more trips.
In fact, residents living in the highlands of El Alto, can now travel from the Blue Line’s western terminus (Wana Jawira / Ex Tranca Rio Seco) to the Orange Line’s eastern terminus (E Plaza Villaroel) in ~50-60 minutes. A comparable trip on existing roadways would take well over an hour.
Along the route of the cable car, riders are provided with never before seen perspectives of the city — helping users find new ways to appreciate the natural beauty and ruggedness of La Paz. Sites of interests seen from the cable car include: The House of Democracy; Mirador Barracks; Faculty of Economic and Financial Sciences; the “House of God”; and La Llamita Cemetery.
Similar to the Blue Line, the Orange Line will feature modern transit amenities such as security cameras, communication systems and free wifi in all its cabins. A single fare is priced at US$0.40 (Bs 3) or US$0.30 (Bs 2) if a passenger is transferring between lines.
While the existing urban gondola network is less than four years old, the network is closing in on 100 million passengers. At full build, the entire metropolitan cable car network will have 39 stations and nearly 34km of cable cars!
A small collection of photos below or alternatively, check out Mi Teleférico’s social media channels on Facebook and Twitter for even more information.
La banda del Colegio Ave María de la zona de Villa Fátima, realiza una presentación en la gran Inauguración de la #LíneaNaranja. pic.twitter.com/2MFtkg4Sfv
— Mi Teleférico (@miteleferico) September 29, 2017