Another "Cablebús"

On my previous trip to Mexico, Alejandro and I took the Line 2 of the "cablebús", an aerial transport system that carries passengers a distance of over 6 miles over the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa.  Neither one of us had been on Line 1 which is on the north side of the city not that far from where Alejandro lives.  So last Sunday, the two of us decided to ride Line 1.

We went to Indios Verdes, a chaotic transportation hub that is the terminus of several bus lines and a subway line.  Now it is also the starting point for the "cablebús".  We found the terminal, used our Metrobus cards to pay the seven-peso fare, and got onto one of the cars.

The line heads upward for 5.7 miles to Cuautepec, the northernmost neighborhood of Mexico City.  It is one of the most densely populated areas of the city.  It climbs the slopes of the Sierra de Guadalupe and has been a very difficult area to access.  The new "cablebús" provides the residents with much needed public transport connecting with the rest of the city.

 

 Leaving the Indios Verdes station, you can see the skyscrapers of the city on the horizon and make out the vague outline of Ajusco, a 12,893-foot-high peak to the south.

Crossing over the Naucalpan - Ecatepec Highway

Chiquihuite Mountain (elevation 8960 feet) is crowned by TV and radio transmitters.  Alejandro told me that when he was a child, they would always point the rabbit ear antenna of their television toward the mountain.

There are four stations along the route.  At the final station, we got off and boarded again to return to Indios Verdes.

However, there is a branch line of the "cablebús" that goes even higher to the neighborhood of Tlalpexco.  So, at the next station we got off and took that branch line.

You can see the main line stretching across the horizon.

Back on the main line again, we are approaching the terminus at Indios Verdes.

The skyscrapers of Mexico City are again visible on the horizon.

You can make out...

 1.) the tip of the Latin American Tower (the tallest in the city when it was built in the 50s) 

2.)  far in the hazy distance is the Torre Mítica, now the tallest

3.) the World Trade Center with its round top, just a block from my apartment

Coming to the end of the line, you can see the conical roof of the modern Basilica of Guadalupe, the holiest shrine in Mexico.

Although this "cablebús" ride provided some spectacular views of an otherwise inaccessible part of the city, I preferred Line 2 which goes over Iztapalapa.  Along that route many residents have had the roofs and walls of their houses painted with street art that makes it an even more interesting ride.