Cities
Salta discusses urban cable car
Salta is the capital of the province of the same name in northwestern Argentina. It is located in the Valle de Lerma at the foothills of the Andes at an elevation of 1,187 meters on the Río Arenales, a tributary of the Río Salado.
Salta is known for its old Spanish colonial architecture in the historic center. Today, the city has approximately 535,000 inhabitants, making it the eighth-largest city in Argentina.
A major attraction is the cable car on the city’s mountain: Since 1987, the “Teleférico San Bernardo” has provided access from San Martín Park to the summit of Cerro San Bernardo.
Recently, a second section in the form of a compact cable car was constructed from San Bernardo to the slightly higher Cerro Delta. We will report on the project by the supplier INAUEN-SCHÄTTI for the cable car manufacturer DOPPELMAYR/GARAVENTA in the next alpine edition of SI Schweiz Spezial 2024.
Compact cable car to Cerro Delta
Salta now boasts two tourist cable cars. A good omen for urban projects?
Project already in the study phase
This affinity for cable car technology is one reason why urban cable cars are now being discussed in the valley. As early as 2023, former Mayor of Salta, Bettina Romero, spoke about a future city development plan that included an urban cable car.
Both Ángel Causarano, President of the Teleférico San Bernardo, and Fernando García Soria, Secretary of Culture and Tourism of Salta, recently told the professional magazine Profesional that the city has grown significantly, and therefore, alternative transportation solutions should be considered.
Although it may seem like a utopia or an ambitious project, Causarano reported that the project is already in the study phase. A direct line is planned that would connect the Quirquincho roundabout in the north with the Limache roundabout in the south.
He explained that the plans are already in place, and even foreign experts have been brought in to design the project. Given the geographical characteristics of Salta, the prerequisites are met.
Growing demand
Salta is growing, and the public transportation network needs to grow with it.
Other cities as role models
In the near future, the project will depend solely on financial investment and the political decision of the government.
In this regard, Fernando García Soria explained that the city is considering both an urban cable car and a city railway, the latter intended to include the entire metropolitan area, not just the capital.
Both interviewees agreed that it is an ambitious but feasible project, with continuous studies being conducted, drawing on the experiences of some Latin American cities that have already implemented such systems.
