Earlier this summer, we wanted to introduce a new segment to the Gondola Project called: Ask Tino.
The purpose of this feature is to allow readers to ask technical cable car questions. In turn, Tino Imhäuser, the Gondola Project’s veteran ropeway technician will personally help answer any of your inquiries.
So to kick this off we’ve received our first Ask Tino question:
Tino Imhäuser, Cable Car Technician and World-Renowned Ropeway Extraordinaire!
Q: What is limiting the speed of Gondolas and Trams? Is it weight on the line, spacing of towers, physics of the cable?
A: We can not separate gondolas and trams with this question since they are both cable-hauled systems. The technical response to this question is, unfortunately, beyond the scope of this discussion here.
In general, speed limits in cable-drawn passenger transportation systems have not been reached yet. Currently, all ropeway manufacturers are already working on concepts and designs to increase speeds.
With that said, existing line speeds in CPT today mostly meet the needs and wants that derive from the market. Development efforts and the associated costs to push speeds higher are very costly and the number of necessary personnel (cable car development specialists) to accomplish this task are limited. So if and when the demand for faster systems increase, manufacturers will offer the appropriate solutions.
Nevertheless, the cost / benefit ratio, the length of a system, the number of stations, the distances between the stations and physical factors will largely determine the speed limits for a cable-hauled system.
Got a technical question about ropeways you want answered? Send your questions to gondola (at) creativeurbanprojects (dot) com with “Ask Tino” in the subject heading.
Want more? Purchase Cable Car Confidential: The Essential Guide to Cable Cars, Urban Gondolas & Cable Propelled Transit and start learning about the world's fastest growing transportation technologies.
