La Paz–El Alto Cable Car (Phase 2)

From August 2015 to September 2017 Geraldine Kann aka Cavall Mari was in charge of the supervision of the feasibility studies of the second phase for Mi Teleférico, the “2019 World Smart City Mobility Award Winner”, an innovative transport integration project connecting the cities of La Paz and El Alto in Bolivia through a system of urban aerial cable cars. 

Geraldine took part in this ambitious and positive social impact challenge in her hometown La Paz, where ever since she was a little girl she heard of the possibility of an urban aerial cable car transit system that would connect La Paz to its twin city El Alto. This project started to become reality in 2014 with the construction of the first three lines, red, yellow and green, constituting Phase 1 of the project. Geraldine got to be part of the second phase, in which the network was being expanded through another 8 lines. Her position as Studies Department Supervisor for the construction company allowed her to be deeply involved in what she considers to be one of the most innovative and unique examples of urban transport integration projects worldwide.

She was able to observe how a totally new consumer behavior and user experience was being created and changing peoples´ habits and demands of commuting as it became more time efficient, cleaner and less noisy. The cable car network in the South American metropolis then comprised ten lines with a total length of around 33 kilometers. From the opening of the first cable car in May 2014 to March 2019, almost 200 million passengers were transported. Around 300,000 people use “Mi Teleférico” every day – on their way to work, to go shopping, to school or in their free time. The cable cars are also very popular with tourists and recommended as a top attraction by international reference travel guides.

In this video of the manufacturer you can get a really good view of the lines and the cities of La Paz and El Alto.