Italy’s Leitner to build Morelia cable car

Italy’s Leitner was the winner of the bidding process to build Morelia’s cable car in Mexico’s Michoacan state, local media report. 

According to daily El Universal, state governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said the bidding process was detailed and transparent.

Capex for the project in the state capital, which has been heavily promoted by his administration, tops 1.9bn pesos (US$97.8mn).

The first stage comprises the construction of six stations: Estadio Morelos, Eduardo Ruiz, Primo Tapia, Obelisco Lázaro Cárdenas, Ciudad Universitaria and Zoológico, and the second stage will add another station in Santa María borough. 

The line is expected to transport between 18,000 and 22,000 passengers a day using 93 cabins along 7.2km in approximately 23 minutes. Its purpose is to facilitate mobility in Morelia’s metropolitan area and reduce traffic congestion and pollution.

Michoacán's government is already building a cable car in Uruapan municipality with similar objectives.

Ramírez Bedolla has said the state government is investing 5bn pesos in infrastructure works in Morelia, including the ongoing construction of the second beltway, the cable car project, the works related to the BRT system metrobús, and an overpass in the neighborhood Villas del Pedregal.

According to Leitner’s website, the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of ropeway systems and has grown steadily since 1888.