TÜV SÜD is at work all over the world, as here testing the city cable car in Mexico City. Photos: DOPPELMAYR GRUPPE

Cities, SI Urban 2/2021

Mexiko City – Tüv Süd inspects cablebús linea 1

Mexico City’s public transport network has been extended with the addition of a new cable-car line. Cablebús Linea 1 is based on DOPPELMAYR Group’s D-line ropeway generation, with detachable gondolas that offer space for up to 10 passengers. TÜV SÜD reviewed the manufacturer documentation, evaluated the safety report and carried out final inspection on site.

Thomas Surrer

24. November 2021

Cablebús Linea 1 covers three route sections with a total length of almost 10 kilometres and links directly to Mexico City’s main transport hub. The new cableway can transport 4000 passengers per hour at a speed of 6m/s.

A total of five stations connect the Indios Verdes metro station with the Cuautepec district. The special feature is that passengers on the main axis can travel a distance of 7.5 km from Cuatepec directly to Indios Verdes without changing trains – this is unique among all urban cable car lines that have been realised so far.

“In terms of its overall length and passenger transport capacity, the new Linea 1 is one of the world’s largest urban cable-car systems,“ says Georg Schober, Head of Transportation at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH.

As safety was the manufacturer’s top priority in the realisation of this ambitious project, DOPPELMAYR GROUP first commissioned the TÜV SÜD cable- car experts to conduct a review of the manufacturer’s documentation and to evaluate the safety report and its implementation in accordance with Cableway Regulation 2016/424.

“For the final inspection, three experts from Munich then spent three weeks in Mexico City,“ Schober reports. “In extensive checks and inspections, we tested elements including all safety components and we conducted brake tests under load.”

In addition, there was a specific emphasis on safety aspects related to integration into the urban environment. After successful final inspection, Cablebús Linea 1 entered into service on 11th July 2021.

TÜV SÜD expertise in cable-car systems

TÜV SÜD’s cable-car experts offer all the statutory tests, inspections and certifications required for market launch and safe operation of these transport systems. They cover aspects such as final and periodic inspections of cableways and drag lifts as well as testing goods cableways (with and without limited passenger transport) and providing safety analyses and reports.

Other important areas of activity include the certification of safety components and sub- systems in accordance with Cableway Regulation 2016/424 as and non- destructive tests, such as magnetic rope testing (MRT) of the steel cables used in passenger transport systems.