In Rio de Janeiro, home to the 2016 Summer Olympics, they have turned to the skies for a new form of urban mass transit. “When the line opens in the next few weeks, users will sail through six stations in 16 minutes, free of charge.” Macleans.ca Around Tahoe their has been talk of a similar Aerial Tramway System to reduce car traffic and possibly increase our chances at a bid for the Winter Olympics. Tahoe Truckee Aerial Tramway
There is surprisingly little about the new build in Rio but you might have seen this article which was published in wired magazine. “The government says that 152 gondolas will carry 30,000 people a day along a 2.1-mile route over the neighborhood, transforming the hour-and-a-half trudge to a nearby commuter rail station into a 16-minute sky ride.” – Rio de Janeiro’s Transit Solution: Cable Cars Over the Favelas
Video of a ride on the gondolas about the favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro has a long history of taken to the skies. In 1912 a cable car was installed to take patrons to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. 1912!
Things that happened in 1912.
- The Titanic sinks.
- Robert Falcon Scott and four fellow explorers became the second expeditionary to reach the South Pole.
- New Mexico became the 47th state.
- The Republic of China is formed.
Who can forget the classic fight between James Bond and Jaws in the 1979 classic, Moonraker.