Swinging on a Cable

In recent years, the government of Mexico City has added another means of transportation to its public transport system... the "cablebus", an aerial cable car which travels above the city.  These were not built as tourist attractions, although visitors find them an interesting way to get a bird's eye view of the city.  They were constructed to serve areas that were otherwise lacking in public transportation.  The first two "cablebus" routes go to the far northern neighborhoods on the slopes of the Sierra de Guadalupe, and across the borough of Iztapalapa.  Both are areas that had limited transportation service, and the "cablebus" dramatically cuts the commute time to the rest of the city for the residents.  It incidentally gives tourists a chance to safely see from above a couple parts of the city that have high crime rates.

In September of this year, the newest "cablebus" route was inaugurated, and last Saturday Alejandro and I checked it out.  Line 3 seems to be more touristic in nature since it connects the four sections of Chapultepec Park.  On a Saturday afternoon most of the passengers seemed to be out for a fun ride on the new route.  However, its western terminus is at Pueblo Santa Fe, another district that does not have subway or Metrobus service.  So, I suspect that during the week, the route will have its fair share of commuters heading to work.

Alejandro and I walked fifteen minutes from the apartment to the nearest subway station which is on Line 7.  We got off just two stops later at Constituyentes.  Just across the busy avenue is the far end of the first section of Chapultepec Park.  The eastern terminus of the new "cablebus" is there.  It is named "Los Pinos" after the nearby former Presidential palace which is now a museum.

There was quite a line of people waiting to board.

As the cars pass through the station, they slow down but do not stop.  When the doors open, you jump into the moving car.  Each one has a capacity for ten people.

The vista of this enormous city is spread below us.

Soon we are over the second section of Chapultepec Park.  It newest attraction is the amusement park, "Parque Urbano Aztlán, with its giant Ferris wheel.

Another recent addition to the second section is the pavilion of the Environmental Center.

Between the second and third sections of the park is "Panteón Dolores", one of the largest cemeteries in the city and the resting place of many famous Mexicans.

From the "cablebus" you can appreciate the vast size of Chapultepec Park and understand why it is called "the lungs of the city".

The third section of Chapultepec is largely undeveloped forest and canyon.

The "cablebus" passes over busy Constituyentes Avenue.

It also passes over the elevated tracks for the Mexico City - Toluca train.

Construction on this commuter train which is to run 36 miles from Mexico City over the mountains to Toluca, began in 2014, and it still is not completed.  The last two stations in Mexico City are supposed to open in December of this year.  (I am not holding my breath!)

The "cablebus" next passes over the fourth section of Chapultepec Park which is still under development.  This area belonged to the military, and a lot of army facilities remain here. The one attraction here that is now open is the "Cineteca Nacional", an institution dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of movies from Mexico and around the world.  (I will write more about it in my next post.)

 

We got off at the end of the line, and then took a walk through section four of the park (still very much under construction) and briefly visited the "Cineteca".  We then went back to the "cablebus" for our return trip.  The line to board was even longer, and we had to wait a half hour.  I sat on the other side for views of the city.

Just left of center, you can see the Torre Mítica, Mexico City's tallest building.

Regular readers of the blog will recognize the World Trade Center in the distance (the blue building with the round revolving restaurant on top), and know that I live a couple blocks from there.  In the lower left you can see more of the tracks for the unfinished train to Toluca.

Zooming in on the World Trade Center.

The building looks so skinny when seen from the side.

Approaching the "Los PInos" terminus where we started

Beyond the park are the skyscrapers along Paseo de la Reforma

To the extreme right, in the distance, you can see the Latin American Tower, which was the tallest building in the city when it was built in the 1950s.

The trip on Line 3 of the "cablebus" was fun.  However I think the other routes are more dramatic and interesting.  On Line 1 you view the neighborhoods climbing up the mountainsides, and on Line 2 you see the paintings on the roofs of the houses of Iztapalapa.

There are already plans to build more "cablebus" lines.