Spotlight: Chilean cable car projects advancing slowly

Urban cable car projects in Chile are advancing slowly, as construction on one line is expected to should start soon and tenders for three more are planned to be launched.

The only such project that has been awarded is the US$80 million Bicentenario cable car in Santiago, expected to start construction before the end of the year, concessionaire Teleférico Bicentenario said in a report to the public works ministry (MOP) in June.

Although a groundbreaking ceremony was held in December, the report said definitive engineering designs were yet to be completed.

The contract was originally awarded in 2018 to a consortium comprising Icafal Inversiones, Ciudad Empresarial and Doppelmayr Chile. It faced delays after the design had to be modified in response to complaints from Providencia district regarding the location of one of the stations.

The project entails a 3.4km line with three stations linking the Providencia and Huechuraba districts.

Teleférico Bicentenario estimates that operations could begin in the second half of 2027.

Tenders for three cable car concessions are planned to be launched by 2026.

IQUIQUE-ALTO HOSPICIO

A tender for a US$108mn cable car between Iquique and Alto Hospicio in Tarapacá region is expected to be launched this year.

The 5.7km line will serve three stations.

VALPARAÍSO

The ministry plans a tender for a US$78mn cable car in the city of Valparaíso next year. An comprehensive studies tender has been scheduled for October, according to documents from MOP’s planning division Dirplan.

The planned 10km line will serve three stations between Barón metro station on the coast and Placilla neighborhood in the city. 

Valparaíso has been trying to implement a cable car for years, with various designs having been proposed.

PUERTO MONTT

The MOP’s portfolio also includes a private initiative by a consortium comprising Ekovia and Gestiona in Puerto Montt, Los Lagos region.

The US$96mn project involves a 2.7km line with four stations linking the city’s main piers with the La Paloma rail station.

Although the ministry’s concessions council declared the project of public interest in 2021, it remains in the so-called proposition stage in which the proponent must carry out studies while the ministry drafts the bidding rules. 

In an eventual tender, the proponent would have an advantage in line with the rules of the concessions system.

The first phase of the proposition stage is expected to finish by the end of this year, the CEO of Concesionaria Teleférico Puerto Montt, Álvaro Henríquez, told BNamericas.