Quito CableCar ‘Metroférico’


This initiative of the GeoCommunity aims at designing a high quality public transport system between the Central Valley of Tumbaco and the Center of Quito.

Preliminary collaborative research included studies regarding urban traffic, demand, origin and destination of journeys, demographic and socio-economic analyses, topographic and geomorphological studies, analyses of geological hazards and environmental and social impacts, and the comparison of the cost-efficiency between different means of public transportation with the evaluation of alternative routes. Finally, the optimal location of public transport nodes was evaluated by a multi-criteria analysis based on multi-disciplinary methodologies using Geoinformation Systems (GIS).

The proposed ‘Metroferico Quito’, is a cable car applying lateest 3S-technology, with 6 stations and a length of 9km with over 90% as public space (avenues and ways) and over 10% of commercial space. The system facilitates the connection of bus systems of parishes northeast of the public transport node “Tumbaco Central”, connecting the “Vía Intervalles” and “Ruta Viva” at the node “El Nacional”. A big Park and Ride station is located next to this public transport node, catalyzing the development of a pedestrian zone and invigorating the commercial center of Cumbaya with its proximity to cultural and social attractions as well as to the USFQ and other educational institutions. It continues its way to the “Rio Machangara” and overcomes a 400m difference of altitude and reaches the park “La Carolina” in the center of Quito where the connection to the Metro system of Quito can be established. The connecting station is located at the “Avenida Simón Bolívar” which provides a big Park and Ride station and an intermodal connection for all travelers from the North and South of the city. The system leads to a reduction of vehicles in the city. The total amount of time for the journey is 24 minutes, compared to the current standard of 1 hour and 25 minutes by bus.

Within the planning process, the GeoCitizen should servee as a platform for relating space to ideas, points of views, options, suggestions and discussions leading to proposals and finally to solutions generated by a collective of local experts, international experts of different disciplines, universities, schools, and civil organizations. Nowadays, the initiative ‘Metroferico Quito’ embraces members of twelve neighborhoods of Quito and its surrounding valleys.

For more information please visit our blog with posts from the year of 2011 up until now (https://iniciativametroferico.wordpress.com), conferences on Youtube, as well as publications in different journals:  http://www.isr.at/ISR-2015-Suedamerika.1252+M5e34df5a01a.0.html  (spanish), Conference Contributions 2015: EAFIT, Cali, Colombia Sep.2015 / EXPOANDES, Santiago de Chile, Oct.2015