One argument cynics like to use against urban gondolas is that they are for tourist purposes only and not a “legitimate” form of infrastructure robust enough to heft thousands of passengers to and fro, daily.
Phu Quoc – Hon Thom Track Ropes. Image from Fatzer.
Well, Fatzer is currently producing a quiet counterargument of record-breaking proportions that’s hard to ignore. The world’s longest 3S cable car — ~8km long — is now under construction and scheduled to open in early 2017.
3S gondola connecting Phú Quốc Hòn Thơm. Image from Doppelmayr.
This incredible aerial lift is located near the Gulf of Thailand and connects the tropical islands of Phú Quốc and Hòn Thơm in southern Vietnam. These islands with their sandy-white beaches were once isolated and impoverished but are now experiencing an injection of investment as the cable car will help complement the island’s plan to host 2-3 million visitors by 2020.
To accomplish the monumental ropeway project, Fatzer was chosen was as the cable manufacturer and produced six massive spools of rope.
Two 52mm haul cables at 8,282m each are now complete and weigh in at 94 tons per spool!
Equally (or even more impressive) was the manufacturing of four 58mm track cables which will be used to provide additional support for the cabins. Each track cable weighs 178 tons and is 8,275m in length!
These ropes will help propel and support the cable car’s seventy 30-person cabins. Assuming the average city bus can carry around 50 people, that’s the equivalent of 42 public transit buses in operation all at one time.
Image from Fatzer.
In total, Fatzer produced 900 tons and close to 50km (31mi) of cold, hard cable!
Comparatively speaking, that’s roughly the equivalent weight of about 180 elephants and the length of 500 soccer fields. If that isn’t impressive enough, several record-breaking bobbins measuring in at 4.4m x 4.6m were specially crafted to hold and transport the massive cables!
These steel track cables are designed with optical fibres in their core which enables them to transmit information between stations. Before being transported, all the cables were subjected to enormous safety testing onsite at Fatzer’s main plant in Switzerland.
With projects like the Gulf of Thailand Cable Car, Fatzer demonstrates that the future of the cable car industry is safe and in capable hands.
Click on the following links to learn more about Fatzer ropeway cables which include the Stabilo® rope and Performa rope.
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