The Puerto Plata cable car will formally resume operations next Thursday, March 10, after an intense program of maintenance, adaptation of its facilities and certification for more than nine months.
During a press conference held at its installations this Sunday, with local authorities, members of the board of trustees and its management, the Colombian company Intecno, which supervised the entire process, delivered a certificate guaranteeing operations.
Gustavo Mejía, Intecno’s representative, pointed out that since September they began with a diagnosis of the changes necessary to adapt the installations to current standards, recalling that the cable car was built in the 70’s by the Italian company Ceretti e Fanfani, according to European models.
He pointed out that the entire control system was validated, the entire support structure was renewed, the emergency braking system and the entire operating system, so that it now complies with all international safety standards.
Engineer Freddy Fernández, representing the technical staff, pointed out that the facilities were designed in 1969 and that construction began in 1971 and was inaugurated on June 19, 1975.
During the ceremony, Mrs. María Amelia Finke Brugal, member of the Board of Trustees, highlighted the great work that has been done to adapt the cable car; Senator Ginette Bournigal, who emphasized the effort and interest of the Board of Trustees and the technical personnel of the facilities, while Governor Claritza Rochtte praised the interest of the President of the Republic in the work and the work done by the administration to adapt the areas at the top of the mountain.
For his part, the cable car administrator, Carlos Atahualpa Paulino, also emphasized the interest of Abinader and the ministers David Collado, of Tourism, and José Ignacio Paliza, of the Presidency, in guaranteeing that the operation of the cable car would be in optimal conditions to guarantee the safety of the visitors and that they could enjoy “an ever better environment”.
He also thanked the support of the board of trustees, the local authorities and all the personnel of the cable car and the security and emergency agencies who have given their support at all times.
During Sunday afternoon, the cable car offered free tours as part of the preparations for its reopening on Thursday.
The press conference was also attended by Mayor Roquelito García, members of the board of trustees, as well as local authorities and police and military organizations.
Incident
On May 23, 2021, 32 passengers and two cable car operators were suspended for hours when one of the pulleys was damaged, requiring the launching of a rescue operation involving local relief agencies, cable car personnel and teams from the Santo Domingo cable car, the Emergency Operations Center (COE) and other institutions.
Details
Engineer Freddy Fernández indicated that in more than 800 thousand trips, with more than 10 million people transported, the Puerto Plata Cable Car has not had a single person injured during its 46 years of operation.
