The Bursa Teleferik. Image by Flickr user Kaan Süleymanoglu.
Uludağ is a highly regarded mountain and recreational resort situated at the highest peak of the western Anatolia region in Turkey. The resort is a year-round attraction that offers skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer.
Access to the popular vacation destination has been served by an aerial tram that has connected the ski resort to the nearby Turkish city of Bursa since 1963. However, by 2012, the cable car was considered outdated and the city decided to install a new ropeway system. As such, Bursa commissioned LEITNER Ropeways to build a record setting gondola.
The Bursa Teleferik. Image by Flickr user ustegen.
The new 8.8km cable car, completed in 2014, officially became the world’s longest monocable detachable gondola (MDG). The system begins its journey at Teferrüç station located at the southern end of Bursa. From there, the cable car travels through two more stations (Kadıyayla, and Saralan) before it reaches the summit of the Uludağ at Kurbağa Kaya station.
Each station, designed by Turkish architect Yamaç Korfali, offers their own various services from shopping centers to restaurants to hotels. To reach the top of the Uludağ, the cable car climbs a vertical distance of 1,400 meters.
The Bursa Teleferik. Image by Flickr user sinan özcan.
One of the many advantages of the upgraded ropeway is that it significantly increases accessibility to the resort. Previously, the only way to access the resort was through 35 kilometres of winding road.
Another advantage of the cable car is that this transportation option has become its own popular attraction. Many visitors ride the cable car to simply view the region’s lush vegetation and wildlife during the 25-minute trip to Uludağ. The Bursa Teleferik demonstrates that cable technology can be a reliable transport option for hard-to-reach locations while also giving its passengers an unforgettable ride experience.
| Year opened (reopened) | 1963 (2014) |
| Length (km) | 8.8 |
| Stations | 4 |
| Capacity (pphpd) | 1,500 |
| Trip time (minutes) | 25 |
| Speed (m/s) | 6.0 |
| Fare | 20 Turkish Liras (10 USD) |
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