Why Medellín Sends Commuters Above the Rooftops

In Medellín, a daily commute can begin above the rooftops. Metrocable connects steep hillside neighbourhoods to the metro in the valley below. This film follows the engineering and the complete journey: climbing terrain, boarding, transfers, capacity and the streets around stations. Cable transport can solve a particular connection without replacing every part of a city's transport network. Map Motive explores how geography and engineering shape everyday life. Subscribe for more documentary explainers. CHAPTERS 00:00 A commute above the roofs 00:45 The hillside problem 01:52 Line K and the metro 03:25 The whole journey 03:48 How the cable system works 04:36 Capacity and access 07:02 What transport can change 08:38 Reliability and limits 09:48 Two connected systems RESEARCH SOURCES Metro de Medellín — Line K twenty years: https://www.metrodemedellin.gov.co/al... Metro de Medellín — Line K route: https://www.metrodemedellin.gov.co/en... POMA — Line K Metrocable: https://www.poma.net/en/work/line-k-m... VISUAL SOURCES & LICENCES Visual excerpts/photos are cropped, scaled, muted where applicable and combined with original explanation. Adapted CC BY-SA visuals retain the source licence. No source endorsement is implied. Kent Larson — CC BY 3.0:    • Medellin MetroCable   André de Moraes — CC BY 3.0:    • Apresentando o Teleferico de Medellin, COl...   mssx99 — CC BY 3.0:    • (3D) Medellin - Going to Santo Domingo Savio   Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Jorge Láscar from Australia — CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Albeiror24 — Public domain: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Augusto Ospina Romero — CC BY 3.0:    • Metro De Medellín Trenes CAF Estacion Pobl...   Felix Corona Presents — CC BY 3.0:    • Metrocable de Medellín   Reginald Natarajan — CC BY 3.0:    • Las Comunas de Medellin   Jdapenao Di — CC BY-SA 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Licence terms: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Maps: Natural Earth (public domain). Original explanatory animation and music: Map Motive. Thumbnail: AI-assisted editorial illustration.