When operational, the Teleferico de Santo Domingo will be the first urban cable car system in the Carob beam region. The innovative project, which is being closely watched by other cities in Latin America, has been characterized as a “game changer” for a location that is in desperate need of additional public transportation options. The first section of the system could be operational as early as May 2018, according to the Dominican Republic’s Office of the Presidency.

The cable cars will serve a five-kilometer route in the Ozama River and National District, as well as the Santo Domingo North and Santo Domingo South municipalities. It will include 215 cars and 36 towers. Each cabin can hold ten people and has the capacity to transport as many as 3,000 passengers every hour per direction at 18 kilometers per hour.

It is estimated that 83 percent of the city’s population relies on public transportation. The new elevated cable car system is expected to reduce the average commute time by 20 minutes and can operate with wind speeds reaching 70 kilometers per hour. The system is designed to integrate efficiently with the existing metro and bus systems using a single ticket.

The cable car system represents a positive move for a city that is considered one of the most modern in the Caribbean as it also has the region’s only metro network. It is becoming a major tourist destination as well. Cable cars are not new to the region, but this is the first time that such a system has been implemented on this scale in a major urban area. The Teleferico de Santo Domingo could become a model for other Caribbean cities, providing a quiet and eco-friendly solution to reduce traffic congestion.

Source: Image from PresidenciaRD.