BART to OAK opens this Saturday! Image from Bart.gov.
A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of urban gondolas, cable cars and cable propelled transit:
- After breaking ground in 2010, North America’s newest bottom-supported cable car, the BART to OAK (aka: BART to Oakland International Airport Automated Guideway Transit), will finally open on Saturday. Trains will arrive every five minutes during peak hours with fares ranging from ~$6–$15.
Reports indicate that French cable transportation company Poma has won the Oruro (Bolivia) cable car tender. The city’s mayor, Rossio Pimentel, expects that the system will be completed by August 2015.
- The Algerian government is embarking on a joint venture involving its transit divisions, EMA (Entreprise du métro d’Alger) and ETUSA (Entreprise de transport urbain et suburbain d’Alger), and French company Poma. The enterprise aims to have local workers acquire manufacturing and maintenance skills from Poma’s experts. According to the article, in 2009, the government promised up to €500 million over five years to renovate and construct urban cable car systems.
- Caracas, Venezuela’s second urban gondola, the Mariche Metrocable will undergo maintenance this weekend. With the cable car service suspended, replacement buses will be available to transport passengers. Regular operations will resume on Monday, November 24.
2 Comments
Re: BART to Oakland International Airport
In the past, there have been comments that Aerobus, monorail and gondola systems cannot be considered for public transit in the first world because there is no escape route for passengers in an emergency.
I do not see a metal catwalk beside the elevated BART guideway. Please explain.
There is a walkway that runs the entire length of the guideway. You just can’t see it in the photo used here. This video shows everything clearly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmZwadALhK0
Also, a walkway is not a prerequisite for public transportation. There are numerous alternative methods that can be used for recovering failed vehicles and/or passengers–walkways just happen to be the most common.