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01
Oct

2021

Weekly Roundup: Awards Abound

The Ulriken643 in Norway has a replacement cable car system. It’s due to open next week. Photo Credit: Litago123, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Cablebús Line 2 in Mexico City has achieved the Guinness record as the longest cable car line in the world dedicated to public transport. The line is 10.6 km long. The system has done a lot more than earning an Guinness award, but has influenced the community by facilitating mobility in the area and reducing polluting emission. There are nearly 50,000 people using the cable car daily.

The new Ulriken Cable Car in Norway is set to open October 9. The original aerial tram opened in 1961 and was called the Ulriken643 in reference to the height of Mount Ulriken. The modifications to the tram include a larger cabin that can carry up to 50 passengers, viewing platform, and a larger restaurant. The system provides views of the region’s sea, skerries, fjord, and mountains.

The Table Mountain Cable Car in Cape Town, Africa has been nominated to compete in the Leading Cable Car Ride in the World. This is the system’s first time being selected in its operational history. The Table Mountain Cable Car will be up against Bondinho Pão de Açúcar in Brazil, the Cable Car at Sun World Ba Na Hills in Vietnam, the Disney Skyliner Cable Car in the United States, Mi Teleférico in Bolivia, PEAK 2 PEAK 360 in Canada, the Skyline Queenstown in New Zealand, and finally the Wings of Tatev in Armenia.

Amsterdam officials support the construction of a cable car crossing over the IJ River. This would be a public transport connecting to the Isolatorweg subway. The 3S system would have cabins that can carry up to 35 people or up to 10 people with their bikes. The project is estimated to cost 120 million euros.

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24
Sep

2021

Weekly Roundup: Previously Reported Systems are Up and Running

The Brahmaputra Ropeway in India had 50,000 visitors in its first year of operation. The 1.8 km aerial tram connects South and North Guwahati. Construction of the system occurred during Covid and had many challenges, one of the biggest being the construction of the 50-ton tower on a small, inhabited river island. The system is used as an ecofriendly transit alternative.

The Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono in Japan is opening the season with a new gondola. The luxurious system is called the Hanazono Symphony Gondola. The 10-person cabins are decked out with individual leather seats. The lift will open terrain on the resort’s northern side to skiers and snowboarders. The system is designed by POMA.

North Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain is planning on a new gondola. The resort is making major renovations, including investing $35 million for a gondola, in preparation for the resort’s 100th anniversary. The gondola will run east of the existing tram line with a capacity of 1,000 guests per hour and total trip time of 5.5 minutes.

The temporary cable car at the Msikaba Bridge site is fully operational. It will be used while the bridge is being constructed over the next two years. The system is intended to make access between the two banks quicker for workers by having a four-minute cable car ride instead of a helicopter or three-hour drive on an alternate route. See a related Weekly Roundup here.

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17
Sep

2021

Weekly Roundup: What’s Old is New

The Chiatura ropeway in Georgia as seen in 2015. Built in the 1950s, it was renovated and reopened this week.
Photo credit: Kabelleger, David Gubler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A new 10-person gondola at Les Arcs-Peisey Vallandry Ski Area in France is designed to generate green energy. The gondola will have solar panels to produce electricity year-round and the heat from the motors powering it will be recycled. The goal is by 2030 to have 25% of the electricity used for the ski resort to be generated from green-power.

Power outages caused by a 7.1 earthquake left 10 passengers trapped in a cable car in Mexico City. The earthquake hit 200 miles from Mexico City around 9pm. The 10 passengers were stuck in the swinging cabin for almost an hour. Passengers disembarked safely and paramedics were on-site to treat dizziness and panic attacks. The cable car line service was disrupted for 73 minutes.

Renovations of a Soviet-era ropeway in Georgia have been completed. The system is in the manganese mining town of Chiatura. The original system started operating in the 50s and closed in 2016 due to safety concerns. In the first two weeks of reopening the system, there have been 20,000 visitors. The renovations cost 55 million GEL ($17.7 million USD).

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03
Sep

2021

Weekly Roundup: Gondolas Encourage Participation

The Palm Springs, California, aerial tramway will close for about a month after Labor day weekend for routine maintenance.
Photo credit: Glenda and Ken via Flickr, license

Thompson Rivers University Students’ Union is encouraging the community to participate in the new plan for the McGill Corridor. The Students’ Union has suggested the idea of a gondola to connect Kamloops neighborhoods and the North Shore. A gondola is not part of any community or transportation plan, but the city does think it’s an interesting idea.

Palm Springs, California’s Aerial Tramway will close after Labor Day for nearly a month for annual maintenance. The maintenance includes track rope repositioning, changing of pedant ropes and mechanical and electrical testing. October 4 is a tentative date for reopening the system.

The Guinness World Record certifies the Cablebús Line 2 in Mexico as the longest public transport cable car line in the world. The system is 10.55 kilometers long, with 7 stations connecting Iztapalapa to Santa Marta Acatitla. The system has reduced travel time from 75 minutes to 36 minutes as well as reducing carbon emissions of up to 16,600 tons per year. To read more about the Cablebús Line 2 check out our coverage here.

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06
Aug

2021

Weekly Roundup: Cities Want What Portland Has

Outer Harbor in Buffalo, New York is being developed, but hard to get to. A cable car has been proposed to connect it to other city transportation.
Photo credit: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dubai Roads and Transport Authority is working with French mobility specialist MND to create a high-speed aerial ropeway, CABLINE. A ropeway system will be a first step to having 25 percent of cross-city trips be self-driven by 2030. CABLINE’s rope speeds will be up to 45 kilometers per hour and have the lowest possible carbon footprint for a transport system.

The counterweight cable for the Taxco Gondola in Mexico snapped leaving 9 people suspended 30 meters in the air. There were no injuries and the rescue crew was able to evacuate the system in four hours. The haul rope, which holds the cabins, was never in danger of failing and passengers were safe the entire time though they had to endure an agonizing wait. System operations have been suspended until there is a maintenance review and any needed updates or replacements take place.

A cable car system might be the transit solution for increased development at Outer Harbor in Buffalo, New York. Access to and from Outer Harbor is viewed as confusing and frustrating. The cable car would likely originate at or near the multi-modal DL&W Terminal on the Buffalo River and connect to increasing amenities at Outer Harbor. The Portland Tram in Oregon has been evidence to planners that the cable car is an effective multi-modal transit option.

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21
May

2021

Weekly Roundup: Connecting Remote Places

This rendering, submitted by Smokey Holdings Ltd., depicts what the proposed Ingonish gondola, in Nova Scotia, Canada, could look like.

The Ingonish gondola in Nova Scotia, Canada has received a $2.5 million federal loan. The Cape Smokey Holding Ltd. not only views the loan as financial help, but as a meaningful display of support for the project from the province and community. The gondola will be integrated with a seven-story observation tower known as a tree walk. This summer the tree walk has been postponed due to unavailability of construction materials, but the gondola has 70 percent of the equipment needed for the towers. The gondola is a Leitner-Poma monocable system with 28 gondola cabins and a capacity to move 2,400 people per hour. See a related roundup post here.

Construction for the Squaw Alpine base-to-base gondola has begun in California. The gondola will connect the village at Squaw Valley to the Alpine Meadows base area. There will be a total of four stations; two base stations and two mid-stations. The resort has not announced a date for the opening of the gondola. See a related Roundup post here.

Crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Scotland, a Sutherland cyclist suggested a cable ferry to cross the Loch Fleet crossing. The proposal is a floating platform with the capacity to hold two cyclists that would be propelled by a rope. A cable ferry is expected to be easier to implement and cheaper to construct than the other alternative being considered, a footbridge.

The Berkshire Eagle shared pictures from 1955 of a manually propelled cable car in Massachusetts. The images show a nurse who used the system to cross the river on her way to work.

The Mount Wellington Cableway project in Australia is advancing to the public outreach phase. Currently there is opposition to the proposed development on kunanyi/Mt Wellington from the Aboriginal community due to the site’s sacred nature. The mountain top development includes a fine-dining restaurant, café, bar, and amphitheater. Public comment will open on May 24 and close on June 22. The cable car is intended to reduce the number of vehicles driving on bad roads. To follow the project updates visit the projects official website here.

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30
Apr

2021

Weekly Roundup: Plans in Motion

The Wyler Aerial Tramway in Texas, closed in 2018, may yet reopen.
Photo credit: Visit El Paso via Flickr

Plans are in motion to revive the Wyler Aerial Tramway. It closed in 2018 because the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) determined that the tram has surpassed its life expectancy and was no longer suited for public use. However, it had passed its annual inspection that year. TPWD and The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority are working together to reopen the tram. The project is estimated to cost $24-28 million.

Two of Disney’s Skyliner Gondolas collided inside the Hollywood Studios station. The cabins did suffer damages and one of the cabin’s windows was shattered. There were no guests in the cabins that crashed.

Vietnam’s Fansipan cable car system was recognized for two world records: the largest elevation difference between the lower and upper terminal at 1,410 meter and the world’s longest 3S gondola at 6.3 km. The cable car replaced a two-day journey with a 15 minute ride. The system can move 2,000 people per hour in the 35-person cabins. During the recognition ceremony for the Guinness record the Fansipan cable car’s 5^th anniversary was also celebrated.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has finalized plans for 13 key projects including a tourist cable car in Pakistan. The cable car will travel 14km and cost Rs32,000 million. There will be an additional Rs4 million spent on tourist facilities. Pak-China 10th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) will meet soon, and the projects will be formally approved.

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The Gondola Project

Uncategorized

Weekly Roundup: Awards Abound

Weekly Roundup: Previously Reported Systems are Up and Running

Weekly Roundup: What’s Old is New

Weekly Roundup: Gondolas Encourage Participation

Weekly Roundup: Cities Want What Portland Has

Weekly Roundup: Connecting Remote Places

Weekly Roundup: Plans in Motion

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