The Gondola Project

24
Mar

2023

Weekly Roundup: Proposed Upgrades to Taos Ski Valley Include New and Improved Transit Options

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Improvements to the New Mexican resort set to include a brand new gondola line, two advanced chairlifts, additional trails and skiing areas, and upgrades to existing tourist, dining, and comfort facilities. Image credit: “Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico,” by Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Welsh government is to contribute £4 million for the Skyline Swansea. This is one of the largest investments into the tourism and hospitality sector for the Country of Wales. Skyline Enterprises wants the Skyline Swansea to connect the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks area to the top of Kilvey Hill, where there will be activities such as luge runs, zipline, sky swing, and trails. See a related Weekly Roundup here.
The Taos Ski Valley resort in New Mexico is awaiting approval for a new gondola. The draft environmental assessment for the project, as well as other proposed developments, is under review. The U.S. Forest Service has already approved the resort’s master plan. The gondola would connect the resort’s frontside main base with Kachina Basin to alleviate traffic congestion. Public comments close in early April, and construction for the gondola is anticipated to begin this summer. Other projects in the area are to replace two lifts with faster, higher-capacity lifts.
The Federal Mint Swissmint launched a new silver coin featuring the Klien Matterhorn cable car. The coin is part of the “Swiss special coins” brand to mark the construction of the new cable car between Zermatt and Italy. The coin has the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise mountain station and a modern 3S cabin.

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17
Mar

2023

Weekly Roundup: Discover the Highest Ski Lift in the World

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The Aiguille du Midi, also sometimes known as the “Needle of the Mid-Day,” is home to the tallest and steepest ski lift in the world. It is popular not only with skiers, but tourists too – the ride features breathtaking panoramic views, and the upper station boasts terraces, viewing areas, a souvenir shop, and a cafe regarded as one of the highest restaurants in the world .

The city of Seoul plans to build a gondola across the Han River. The intention is to connect major leisure attractions and cultural sites on the river’s banks. While station locations have not yet been selected, there are four options currently being examined. The local government will start accepting construction proposals after doing initial environmental impact and technical feasibility studies. There is no timeline for the project.

The world’s highest ski lift is in one of the oldest resorts in France, Chamonix Mont-Blanc. The Aiguille du Midi cable car rises a total of 9,209 feet in just 2.3 miles. The system has three stations total, with the elevation for the lower, mid, and upper stations being 3,392 feet, 7,602 feet, and 12,395 feet, respectively. The journey from the mid station to the upper is the steepest vertical climb by any ski lift in the world. The system is not only used by skiers, but over the years has become a popular tourist attraction due to its beautiful panoramic views.

The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) for North Texas is looking for congested areas in select cities, hoping to build autonomous gondolas. RTC has requested cities to submit their most congested areas to study and ultimately select the first location for this new technology. The cabins are to be self-propelled, unlike traditional gondolas that are propelled by the haul rope. This application has yet to be built, and it is unknown when construction on the first will begin.

London has unveiled a new transit alternative to the Luton airport: the Luton Dart. The £290 million automated guided people mover takes the 30-minute journey down to 3 minutes, replacing a slow and infrequent shuttle. The Dart, or Direct Air-Rail Transit, carries 170 passengers in its four walkthrough cars. Fare will be £4.90 per adult, half price for children 5-15, and free for children under 5.

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10
Mar

2023

Weekly Roundup: Take a Ride from Bed to Bath and Back with Hotel Iyaonsen’s New Cable Car

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Iya Valley — Hotel Iyaonsen is one of Japan’s most isolated hotels, featuring secluded, scenic views and beautiful open-air baths. Their new cable car lift will ferry guests from the hotel down to the hot springs, gifting them with gorgeous, panoramic view of the Iya Valley in the process. Image: “Iya Valley” by ©Christian Kaden on Flickr (Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0).

If built, the proposed Skyline Swansea cable car would give locals hefty discounts. The project is located in the United Kingdom and would connect Landor Park & Ride to the top of Kilvey Hill. The company behind the project, Skyline Enterprises, has said annual gondola passes for residents would be £40 for adults and £20 for seniors and children. Residents would also get discounts for Skyline activities, experiences, and retail. The low rates for residents are intended to ensure the project is well-loved. Final plans for the project will be submitted in the summer, and if approved, they anticipate opening in 2025.
Doppelmayr has been contracted to build Dominica’s historic cable car project. Once built, the system will be the longest monocable detachable gondola (MDG) in the world at 6.6 kilometers. A study of the $54 million (USD) project by a European company revealed the development would triple the country’s tourism. Current plans are to integrate hospitality and retail facilities at the bottom station and feature a café with a panoramic terrace and viewing platforms at the top.
A secluded hotel in Japan has a new cable car to transport guests. The Gondola Project would classify this system as a funicular because it is running on a rail system, but it is still cable-propelled. The funicular moves guests from the hotel down 170 meters to open-air baths that protrude over the Iya River. A journey in the 17-passenger cabin takes about five minutes.
The Vietnamese attraction to Cam Mountain has reduced the ticket price for the cable car to welcome major holidays. The discount began after the Lunar New Year and will extend until May 1. The number of visitors has increased with the reduced ticket price.
Tororo municipality leaders have asked the Ministry of Tourism to set aside funds for a cable car. The objective is to attract tourists to Tororo Rock. This rock in the Eastern Region of Uganda is unique, and similar rocks can only be found in South Africa and Nigeria.

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03
Mar

2023

Weekly Roundup: Ministry of Environment Approves Cable Car Project in South Korean National Park

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A scenic view of Mt. Seorak, South Korea, from near the site of the current cable car line; the construction of a second line has been approved and is set to begin operation in 2026, provided that it follows all of the environmentally-conscious conditions put into place by the Ministry of Environment. Image: “Seoraksan National Park, near cable-car” by Olga Lipunova, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Mount Seymour in Vancouver, Canada, will have a new chairlift for the 2023-24 winter season. The newly revamped quad chairlift will increase capacity by 70% over the original lift, traveling 2.3 meters per second and having larger chairs. The new lift will replace the existing Lodge chairlift that serves the base area to the lowest point of skiable terrain. A notable feature of the new lift is the improved speed of the conveyor loading skiers. Construction is set to be completed during the summer.
The cable car project on Mount Seorak has been approved. Mount Seorak is part of a national park in Gangwon, South Korea. The project was approved by the Ministry of Environment, but comes with a number of conditions related to protecting the environment. The vision for a project of this kind dates back to 1982, when a cable car was first proposed. It would be the second cable car on Mount Seorak, with the first one having opened in the 1970’s. If the project moves forward, the system is expected to begin operating in 2026 and will cost over 50 billion won ($38 million USD).
New Hampshire’s iconic tram is close to retirement, and there exists some controversy surrounding what type of cable-propelled system should replace it. The original tram began operation in 1938 and was the first passenger aerial tram in North America; the 1938 tram was replaced in 1980 with the current system, and with another substitution now on the horizon, locals are insistent that system type remain the same. State officials are leaning towards installing a gondola, which would be cheaper and faster than the tram due to the increased frequency of the cabins arriving at the stations.

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24
Feb

2023

Weekly Roundup: Big News from Montana’s Big Sky Resort

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Big Sky Resort in Bozeman, Montana, where ten years of improvements are finally reaching an end, resulting in new hotels, amenities, dining and retail – oh my! Image: Big Sky Resort by A-Reck, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Big Sky Resort in Bozeman, Montana, is wrapping up their decade-long infrastructure improvements. The resort’s Vision 2025 plan budgeted tens of millions of dollars for new aerial ropeway systems and resort amenities. New additions encompass a series of high-speed lifts, include four lifts with bubble chairs, one 8-seater chairlift, and the nation’s fastest 6-person chairlift. The final phase of the project is a base-to-summit connection via a gondola and aerial tram. The improvements will increase the skiable terrain, making it the second or third largest resort in the United States.
The Massachusetts historic ski resort, Berkshire East, is planning to install two new chairlifts. The plan is to install two high-speed quad chairlifts over the next two years. The first lift has already been ordered and is projected to open for the 2023-24 season. This first lift would go from the base of the Competition trail up to the summit; the second lift will take place of the Mountain Top Triple.
Transdev was awarded the operating contract for the new urban gondola in the greater Paris region. The six-year contract will also include the operation of 15 bus lines. This gondola will be the first cable car line in the greater Paris region, connecting the end station of a metro line and the Bois Matar neighborhood. A ride on the 4.5-kilometer gondola will take 20 minutes, and the line will transport 11,000 passengers daily once commissioned. Cabins will arrive every 22 to 27 seconds, which will require little to no wait to ride the gondola.

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10
Feb

2023

Weekly Roundup: Two New Gondolas to Aid Tourism and Urban Development in German Cities

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Göppingen mit Hohenstaufen — The German city of Herne will soon feature a new edition to its scenic landscape: a gondola system to increase tourism, bolster urban and economic development, and improve transit. Image: from the Göppingen mit Hohenstaufen collection (https://flic.kr/p/2eG25Lh) by to.wi (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) on Flickr.

There is a planned urban gondola for the German city of Herne. The preliminary work on the project has begun, as was announced by the Mayor of Herne, Franz Dudde, at a local New Year’s event. The gondola will connect the General Blumenthal colliery wasteland to downtown Wanne. In addition to improving transit, the gondola is anticipated to positively impact tourism and urban development. Because the gondola would be electrically powered, it would also help minimize the temperature rise in the city.

Germany is in full gondola mode, with the municipality of Göppingen proposing a gondola that would connect the Göppingen train station to the clinic at the Eichert. At an informational event, a Doppelmayr employee presented an option of a straight route that would be fully electric, and autonomous operation would be possible. The municipality’s objective is to provide accessibility to low-serviced areas. The proposed budget range is 53 to 73 million euros.

The new gondola flying over the Las Vegas-style city of Riyadh, has created an aerial boulevard in this Saudi Arabia capital. The system provides a car-free way to get from the international shopping area to destinations such as a mega amusement park and the largest man-made lake in the world. The 1.2-kilometer system moves 3,000 people per hour in 10-person cabins, and the total journey time is just over three minutes. The project cost 9 million euros.

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03
Feb

2023

Weekly Roundup: Continued Progress on the Santo Domingo Cable Car and More

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Teleférico de Santo Domingo — Line #1 of the Santo Domingo cable car has been in operation since May of 2018; Line 2, which will add four more stations and is estimated to transport an additional 4,500 passengers, will open later this month.
Image: 42103287050_65fce83b71_o.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/presidenciard/42103287050/in/photostream/) by Gobierno Danilo Medina (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Line 2 of the Santo Domingo cable car is set to begin operation this month. The monocable detachable gondola (MDG) will be the second cable car to serve as public transit in the Dominican Republic. The first line opened in 2017. Line 2 will have four stations, moving 4,500 passengers per hour in 12-person cabins. Travel times will be reduced from an hour and a half to fifteen minutes. For more details, check out the Gondola Project’s coverage here.

America’s first scenic tramway, Estes Park Tramway, is set to close after six decades. The tramway, also known as an aerial tram, is located in Colorado. The system was designed and built by Robert Heron and has been operated by the Heron family since opening in 1955. The system spans 1,060 feet with no towers between the bottom and top station. The travel time to reach the top of Prospect Mountain takes two minutes and twenty seconds. The family is hoping a new owner comes forward to take over the business.

The port city of Genoa, Italy, plans to build a gondola. The project is anticipated to begin at the end of Summer 2023, with a route of approximately 2.2 kilometers and three stations. There is opposition from locals, but the public authority believes the system will not only improve mobility in the city, but also boost tourism. The 35-million-euro contract was awarded to Doppelmayr Italia.

The Taronga Zoo’s gondola, Sky Safari, is closed after operating for 35 years. While this gondola may be decommissioned, the Zoo is planning for a replacement set to open in 2025. The new gondola will have a longer route traveling over more areas of the Australian zoo. The new system will improve accessibility by creating platforms level to the cabin, increasing seating, and widen cabin doors. SCJ Alliance is part of this project.

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