Trams in Bogotá were first inaugurated on December 24, 1884 with the first

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

way pulled by mules, covering the route from Plaza de Bolívar to San Diego, in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. In 1892, a tramline linking Plaza de Bolívar and Estación de la Sabana started operating. The original trams ran over wooden rails but since such tramways easily derailed, steel rails imported from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

were later installed. In 1894, a tramcar ran on the Estación de la Sabana to Chapinero line every twenty minutes. In 1910, the system was electrified. The electric system was expanded and operated four lines. The riots of April 1948, known as

Bogotazo El Bogotazo (from "Bogotá" and the ''-azo'' suffix of violent augmentation) refers to the massive riots that followed the assassination in Bogotá, Colombia of Liberal leader and presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on 9 April 19 ...

, caused the destruction of several tram vehicles. Bogotá's tramway provided services up to 1951 when all trams were replaced by

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

es on June 30, 1951.

Aerial tramway

The

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

or cable car to

Monserrate Monserrate (named after Catalan homonym mountain ''Montserrat'') is a high mountain over 10,000 feet high that dominates the city center of Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. It rises to above the sea level, where there is a church (built in ...

mountain began its construction on August 13, 1953 and was inaugurated on September 27, 1955; in a bicable modality with two cabins that transport 40 passengers each. It was built in 1955, and has two cabins each for 40 passengers. The journey is traveled in 7 minutes, traveling over the downtown of the city. At the terminus on

mountain, there is a church, a restaurant and other smaller tourist attractions.

Funicular

The

Funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

to Monserrate is a tramway used for going from the city level ( above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

) to the top of the Hill of Monserrate (3152 m). The

gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...

funicular transports daily the inhabitants of the capital and tourists; it was finished in 1928 and inaugurated officially on August 18, 1929. Since that time, this small train has slowly ascended towards the peak of Monserrate, gradually allowing its passengers the contemplation of nature and landscape that is being left behind as they reach the above sea level, where its upper station lies. In December 2003, the funicular initiated a new phase with a more modern design in its cars, that now open their doors to the sky with a crystal ceiling, so that nobody can lose a single detail of the forests that surround the city, the beautiful panoramic view and beautiful sunsets. In its trip of only 4 minutes, the cable car rises with its big windows on its sides, offering a great view of the hill that makes contrast with the beautiful panoramic of the city. The dense vegetation of the high trees tops leave us a sensation of direct bonding between earth and sky.

Proposed modern tram to airport

63 km airport tram under study. Vossloh, Torres Cámara and Conconcreto, which envisages that the 2bn pesos scheme could be funded through an 82:18 public-private partnership. Route: Sabana Facatativá to Bosa via

El Dorado International Airport El Dorado International Airport is an international airport serving Bogotá, Colombia and its surrounding areas. The airport is located mostly in the Fontibón district of Bogotá, although it partially extends into the Engativá district and ...

References

External links

The Tramways of Bogota
– It presents 22 photographs of the tramway.

– Photographs of the Aerial tramway and Funicular
Data about the funicular

Time line - Public transport service in Bogotá
- 22 pages, photographs and videos. {{Colombia urban transit Tram transport in Colombia Transport in Bogotá Metre gauge railways in Colombia Bogota

Aerial tramway

Funicular

Proposed modern tram to airport

See also

References

External links