Workers at the Mukumbari cable car in Merida are now beginning another day of trials. Engineers, electrical contractors and emergency situation crews begin the journey up in four phases, from the city cable television car terminal at 1,600 meters to the final stop at 4,765 meters, simply below Venezuela’s greatest mountain, the Bolivar Peak.
After five years of work, the cable car was officially opened on April 29. For numerous months it will be in a pre-commercial trial period, taking groups of school children, elderly people and community organizations up the mountain 4 days a week. It must open fully to the public later in the year, most likely in September.
Merida’s previous cable car closed in 2008 for security reasons. It had been running for nearly half a century. Rather of repairing and renovating it, they decided to develop an entirely new one, with much larger capability, cutting-edge technology from Austria and Switzerland, and a new base of tourism.
“Pico Bolívar”, the Bolivar Peak
The workers are really happy with exactly what they have actually accomplished. The engineers go into excellent information about the building of the cables and the margins of tension they can endure. Among them, Gabriel Puente, echoes what they like to call the 4 superlatives: “this is the highest, the longest, the most modern and the safest cable car in the world”.
