The Ministry of Public Works announced the call for bids for the Alto Hospicio-Iquique Cable Car project that will benefit 375,000 people in the Alto Hospicio and Iquique communities in the Tarapacá region.

The project, with an investment of USD 126 million, includes a 5.7-km route and three passenger stations connecting the Esmeralda Roundabout in Alto Hospicio with the El Pampino Roundabout in Iquique, including an intermediate station at the intersection of Tadeo Haenke Avenue and El Tamarugal Avenue. With a capacity of 2,000 passengers per hour in each direction and a travel speed of 6 m/s (22 km/h), it will reduce travel time between the two municipalities from 45 to 16 minutes, efficiently addressing the challenge of vertical connectivity associated with the height difference of up to 480 meters between Iquique and Alto Hospicio. 

According to the schedule, the receipt of technical bids is scheduled for October 2, 2025, while the economic opening will be on November 6, with the award projected for the first half of 2026. The next step after the award is the preparation of the engineering project and then the start of construction, which is projected for 2028, while final operation is expected in 2030.