LEITNER is consistently expanding the urban ropeway infrastructure in Manizales

The Colombian city of Manizales is continuing to implement the latest generation of urban mobility and is systematically expanding its ropeway network in collaboration with LEITNER. After successfully completing two projects, the South Tyrolean ropeway manufacturer was also awarded the contract to build a third line in 2022. With the commissioning of the new system at the end of September, the urban ropeway network in the city of around 400,000 inhabitants has been extended to a total of 4,885 meters – another milestone in designing sustainable and efficient public transport.

Back in 2009, LEITNER built the first 10-seater gondola lift along one of Manizales’ central transport axes. It is seamlessly integrated into the existing ticket system and the city’s infrastructure, creating a direct connection between the bus terminal, residential areas, and the city center. Due to the high level of public approval, the “Cable Aéreo Manizales” was extended in 2013, and has since then served the suburb of Villamaría. The second line, “Cámbulos – Villamaría”, was built as part of this expansion and demonstrated that ropeways are an ideal complement to conventional transport, especially in a city characterized by substantial differences in elevation. The systems will be used intensively as they significantly reduce travel times and offer residents convenient connections to the most important parts of the city.

The contract for the third ropeway line, which is 2,328 meters long and serves four stations, was signed in 2022. In its initial phase, it is equipped with 53 cabins and it is able to transport up to 1,500 people per hour. The future capacity can also be extended to a maximum of 2,100 people per hour with the addition of 20 cabins. As of September 2025, the new line connects the north of Manizales with the financial and business district and the transport center, further increasing the efficiency of the city’s transport network. The third line is also powered by the LEITNER DirectDrive – a unique gearless drive system that offers impressively quiet operation, low maintenance requirements, and maximum energy efficiency, thus ensuring reliable, comfortable, and sustainable operation.

“The long-standing collaboration with Manizales impressively demonstrates how urban ropeway systems can sustainably improve the quality of life in dynamically growing cities, characterized by significant differences in altitude,” explains Giacomo Trattenero, the responsible project manager at LEITNER.

LEITNER’s new project combines technological innovation, energy efficiency, and compatibility with the landscape. The ropeways blend harmoniously into the city’s steep landscape, save valuable urban space, and contribute significantly to the sustainable development of urban mobility in Manizales.

A special feature of the ropeway network is that the first stations of all three lines are all located together within one building complex, which enables passengers to transfer between the individual lines quickly and easily.

With the continuous expansion, Manizales is upholding its pioneering role in the field of urban ropeway systems. The city’s topographically challenging location, at an altitude of 2,160 meters in Colombia’s coffee-growing region, has made ropeways a proven and indispensable means of transport for decades. Historic systems were used for both passenger transport and transporting coffee, and paved the way for today’s modern solutions.