Public transit systems tend to take a beating.
They handle thousands, if not millions of passengers each day. And not only that, in some high demand areas, service must be reliable and constantly available. Definitely not an easy feat for operators.
For Cable Propelled Transit (CPT) it’s no different. Heavily ridden systems such as the Medellin Metrocable Line K and Roosevelt Island Tram transport thousands of riders on a daily basis for up to 19-21 hours a day.
But how about a gondola system that operates 24/7? Well the Mount Parnitha Cable Car near Athens, Greece shows that it’s possible.
Mount Parithna Cable Car. Image by Flickr user Christos.
Since it’s the main transport connection to the Regency Casino on top of Mount Parnitha (Mont Parnes), it was of utmost importance that the cable car be available around the clock. Otherwise, even minor disruptions would mean that businesses would be negatively impacted. And for a casino, this would be financially disastrous.
To say the least, this feat is incredible and unheard of. Aside from a handful of cities, very few rapid transport lines are able to operate 24 hours a day, let alone a cable car.
If there’s anything to take from this case example, it’s that this system demonstrates once again how cable technology is constantly adapting and improving itself to meet the ever-changing needs and demands of its customers.
Special thanks goes out to Andrew and Mr. Woo for informing me about this system.
2 Comments
That would have huge implications for cable as transit! Do you have any clue how they do it? Does it have anything to do with it being a funitel?
Exactly how they do it still needs more investigation. But I’d imagine the system must stop running at some point… which at that time must involve some pretty intense maintenance work.