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Providência Cable Car has expanded operations and now operates at full capacity
Published on 09/02/2025 - 13:29 | Updated on 09/02/2025 - 18:40
The expectation is to serve around 5 thousand residents daily. Photo: Fabio Motta The Providência Cable Car, in the city center, began operating at full capacity this Sunday (09/02). Reopened in April of last year, with a gradual operation, the equipment can now be used by the population from 6 am to 23 pm, on weekdays; from 6 am to 19 pm, on Saturdays; and from 8 am to 16 pm, on Sundays and holidays.
The expectation is that the cable car, which is free, will serve around 5 thousand residents daily, facilitating access between Praça Américo Brum, at the top of the hill, Central do Brasil and Gamboa, generating positive impacts for the residents of the region.
The full operation of the Providência Cable Car represents a 60,6% increase in the number of weekly service hours, compared to its original operation, when it opened in 2014. At the time, the equipment operated from 7 am to 19 pm, Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 14 pm on Saturdays, and did not operate on Sundays and holidays.
– The cable car is an essential means of transportation for the community of Providência, it facilitates access between the two sides and each trip takes only three minutes. And it is also free – says the Secretary of Government Coordination, Edson Menezes.
The deputy mayor of the Center, Alberto Szafran, recalled that the City Hall had already reopened the cable car, with restricted opening hours, last year.
– Today’s delivery marks the beginning of the full operation, which will run until eleven o’clock at night. It is a gain for the population, in terms of transportation and accessibility, integrating with the lower part of the hill to bring more dignity and citizenship to the residents.
Szafran also highlights the possibility of the population being able to use high-quality equipment, not only for their daily commute, but also to integrate with the VLT and all other modes of transport in Central do Brasil.
The full operation of the Providência Cable Car is the result of the efforts to restore the equipment undertaken by the City of Rio. In 2021, after four years of abandonment of the structures, the new municipal administration commissioned engineering studies to assess the situation of the system and carried out restoration work on the three stations and metal towers, in addition to renewing the electromechanical operating system with the Austrian company Doppelmayr, the equipment manufacturer.
The Companhia Carioca de Parcerias e Investimentos (CCPar) was responsible for coordinating these actions to restore and modernize the cable car. Osmar Lima, the municipal secretary for economic development and head of CCPar, highlights the importance of this service for the population.
– Today, we are resuming full operation of the cable car, with a 60% increase in operating hours. This is a huge benefit for the population that needs to travel to work, shop and do other things, as well as for those who want to visit and see this incredible view. There is no doubt that having equipment of this quality greatly helps the people of the community.
Full operation is also an improvement over the cable car's original operating hours when it opened in 2014. At the time, the equipment operated for 66 hours per week. Now, there will be 106 hours of transport service, 60,6% more, amplifying the positive impacts for the local community.
A resident of Morro da Providência for 55 years, Juraci Vilela Gomes, from Pernambuco and owner of the famous Bar da Dona Jura, located at the viewpoint of Praça Américo Brum, celebrated the full operation of the transport system. She says that she learned to cook in the homes of the families where she worked. She opened the bar in the community, which has a privileged view of the city and has already received people from various parts of the world and public authorities.
– In 1994, I started preparing meals for the sanitation workers here in Providência. Today, I have my own bar, where I have been making a different dish every day for the past 10 years. My shrimp gnocchi is one of my biggest hits. With the cable car running until late, the business will increase and more people will be able to eat here – he celebrates.
She also praised the start of full operations:
– It’s wonderful. The cable car is a fast, clean means of transport and everyone here is very grateful. The mothers who take their children to school, the people who come home from work. It will be good for everyone.
About the Providencia Cable Car
Originally opened in July 2014, the Providência Cable Car was built as part of the Morar Carioca program, which aims to urbanize communities. The facility was built with federal funds, an investment of R$75 million through the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) for the construction of stations, assembly of towers, relocation of the power grid and implementation of service roads. However, the contract to operate the facility was not renewed as of January 2017, and its operation was interrupted.
In 2021, the new City Hall administration decided to resume operations and commissioned engineering studies to assess the system's status. After the diagnostic phase, the work was divided into two parts: the recovery of the three stations and metal towers and the renewal of the electromechanical operating system with the Austrian company Doppelmayr, the equipment manufacturer. The cable car was reopened in April 2024, gradually returning to operation free of charge for the population. The government invested R$42 million in the recovery of the mode.
The equipment is capable of transporting up to 16 people per hour in each direction, with 721 gondolas that can carry up to eight passengers each, covering a distance of XNUMX meters. The journey between the stations at the foot of the hill and its summit takes around three minutes. The cable car also has infrastructure adapted for people with special needs.
In addition to offering free transportation to the population, the Providência Cable Car is a reference point for other services provided by the City of Rio. The Nélio de Oliveira Family Clinic has been operating at the Gamboa station since 2014, offering services to the population. In addition, in March 2022, the Dodô da Portela Social Assistance Reference Center (CRAS) was opened, in honor of the iconic resident of Providência and one of Portela's greatest flag bearers.
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