Understanding the Implementation and Impacts of La Paz and El Alto's Groundbreaking Aerial Transportation System: Mi Teleférico

Mi Teleférico is an aerial cable car transportation system that connects the neighboring cities of La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia. Although they form a single metropolitan area, the two cities differ significantly in geography, demographics, and economic opportunities. La Paz, Bolivia's administrative capital, sits in a steep valley, while El Alto sits on the surrounding high-altitude plane and is home to a majority Indigenous and working-class population. For years, traveling between the two cities was often slow and unpredictable, which caused a high degree of isolation between them. Conceived as a solution to the region's geography, Mi Teleférico links the high-altitude plateau of El Alto with La Paz, allowing passengers to travel directly between the two cities. The project was proposed in 2012 during the presidency of Evo Morales, with construction beginning shortly after. The first line, the Red Line, opened on May 30, 2014, followed by the Yellow and Green Lines later that year. Over the next five years, the network expanded to include ten lines and dozens of stations, becoming the largest urban aerial cable car system in the world. Each cabin carries up to ten passengers and departs every few seconds, allowing the system to move thousands of people per hour while operating entirely on electric power. Today, Mi Teleférico serves as a core metropolitan transportation network, connecting residential neighborhoods and commercial districts across both cities.

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This website provides the compiled findings of 8 interviews with experts on either the implementation of the system or the socioeconomic impacts of it. The site aims to provide more information on how this groundbreaking system came to be, along with how it continues to impact the residents of La Paz and El Alto each day. 

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