Urban Gondola « The Gondola Project

Posts Tagged: Urban Gondola

14
Oct

2022

Weekly Roundup: Alyeska Aerial Tram provides spectacular views all year round

Alyeska Resort Hotel - Girdwood Alaska — Looking at the Ayeska Resort Hotel in Girdwood, Alaska from the Alyeska Aerial Tram, Photo by C Watts , (CC BY 2.0)

What better way to see fall foliage than from above in an aerial tram. The Alyeska Aerial Tram in Alaska has spectacular views all year round. The system takes you to the top of Mount Alyeska where there is food, views, and trails. The system rises 3,869 feet at 26 miles per hour.
The annual evacuation training for the Portland Tram was done without an issue. The Portland Bureau of Transportation worked with Oregon Health & Science University and Portland Fire & Rescue to create and practice an evacuation plan. Although it is not required to do an annual training evacuation, the authorities responsible for the evacuation do it to be prepared in case of an emergency.
The haul rope for the Santo Domingo Line 2 cable car is being installed. A light cable is used to pull the haul rope over the tower tops and to the stations. The system will be integrated into the Santo Domingo transportation network, SIT Santo Domingo. The system has four stations: Alcarrizos Station, Las Toronjas Station, Puente Blanco Station and Los Americanos Station. See a related Weekly Roundup here. Also, check out the Gondola Projects coverage on Line 1 here.
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is reopening Monday after being closed for a month. The system was closed for annual maintenance. The maintenance included the replacement of tower sheaves (pulley wheels), the replacement of the dome windows in both tramcars, and comprehensive mechanical and electrical testing.
The haul rope is being spliced for the new Base to Base Gondola. The Base to Base Gondola is going to connect the Palisades and Alpine in Lake Tahoe which would result in the third-largest ski resort in North America by acreage. See a related Weekly Roundup here.

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30
Sep

2022

Weekly Roundup: History of Table Mountain Aerial Cableway

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway in 1929 (Photo by Wikimedia , public domain photo)

The Little Cottonwood Canyon traffic mitigation plan selected the gondola as the preferred alternative and is exploring adding a toll to both Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and other state transportation agencies are currently studying alternative toll methods to mitigate the existing traffic congestion and future traffic volumes. As of now no decision has been made, but the toll cost would be directly intertwined with the gondola and public transit fares. See a related Weekly Roundup here.
The city of Cebu in the Philippines has a proposed cable car that will be presented at the first mobility submit. The project is called the Aerial Ropeway Transit (ART) which is intended to connect downtown to the hinterlands to help mitigate traffic in these areas. Similar to Singapore, the cable car is expected to give the city a sense of modernization and boost tourism. This is not the first time a cable car has been proposed in Cebu; one was also considered in 1997, 2005, 2007, and 2014.
The history of the beloved South Africa cable car, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, has been well documented via photography, from its inception in 1929 til modern times. With locals and tourists fond of this system, there are great pictures of every generation of the tram. The tram has been accident free since opening, even with its first cabin having minimal safety requirements, allowing doors being able to open at any time along the ride. By 1958, the second generation was able to move 23 passengers up the mountain in 8 minutes. Today’s generation has a rotating cabin that moves 65 passengers in 5 minutes. These incredible images show the evolution of the tram technology over the almost 100 years it has been in operation.

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09
Sep

2022

Weekly Roundup: Doppelmayr has just released the new TRI-Line gondola

Doppelmayr TRI-Line Talstation, Photo Rendering by Doppelmayr

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) announced their preferred transit alternative is the gondola for Little Cottonwood Canyon. 3S gondolas, also known as tricable detachable gondola (TDG), are highly reliable because they can handle harsher weather conditions. A 3S has two track ropes with the sole purpose of stabilizing the cabins and one propulsion cable. It’s estimated the gondola will ease congestion on the canyon by 30%, but critics accurately say the system will primarily benefit Alta and Snowbird skiers. The largest user group causing congestion throughout the canyon are resort skiers and the gondola is only intended to operate during the wintertime. It will take up to three years to install the gondola, which will be the world’s longest, and in the meantime other temporary traffic measures will be used to reduce congestion. UDOT is taking public comments on the gondola proposal until October 17. See a related Weekly Roundup here.
Doppelmayr has just released the new TRI-Line gondola. The TRI-Line is an innovative combination of the 3S and D-Line model, the latest model of Doppelmayr’s monocable detachable gondola (MDG). The major benefits of the TRI-Line are compact stations similar to the D-Line and a high capacity of moving up to 8,000 people per hour per direction. We will have more details about this new technology soon, stay tuned.
London’s cable car is to be rebranded as IFS Cloud Cable Car in October. Transport for London (Tfl) has announced a two year sponsorship deal with the technology company, IFS. IFS is a fast growing global technology company that will be completely rebranding the cabins and stations. The cable car had approximately 1.5 million passengers in the year leading up to July 2022. See a related Weekly Roundup here.
The Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART) development company donated the Dodger Stadium gondola project to Climate Resolve. The gondola project was proposed in 2018 by LA ART, led by the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The vision is to build a 3S gondola that will move people between Union Station and the Dodgers Stadium with two intermediate stations. Climate Resolve is an environmental nonprofit that focuses on combating the impacts of climate change. LA ART will continue to fund the entitlement phase of the project with Climate Resolve responsible for shepherding the project through the entitlement process, assembling the funding package, and managing the construction phase. See a related Weekly Roundup here. SCJ Alliance is part of this project.

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26
Aug

2022

Weekly Roundup: Work to begin soon on $35 million gondola at Grouse Mountain

View From the Grouse Mountain SkyRide Gondola — View from inside the Grouse Mountain SkyRide Gondola, soon to be replaced by the new gondola system. Photo on Flickr by Richard Erikkson, (CC BY 2.0)

Construction of the $35 million gondola at Grouse Mountain in British Columbia, Canada, is expected to begin in early September. The monocable detachable gondola (MDG) is intended to be the replacement of the existing aerial tram, Blue Skyride, which is no longer operational to the public. The new gondola will improve the connection from the parking lot to the peak of Grouse Mountain just east of the chalet. Currently, the Red Tram is moving 900 passengers per hour but once the gondola is operational the combined capacity of the two systems will increase to 1,900 passengers per hour. The gondola’s travel time will be 5.5 minutes, almost 10 minutes faster than the Red Tram. The new system is expected to open Spring 2024.
A renowned urban planner, Felino Palafox Jr., advocated for the need of a cable car in Metro Manila to alleviate congestion. There have been cable car proposals in the area, but were targeted for tourists not locals. Palafox is supportive of the Senator Robinhood Padilla’s idea of integrating a cable car to the transportation mix claiming it will improve transit for locals, improve security, and benefit the environment.
London Cable Car rebrands to welcome Pokémon World Championship competitors. The cabins have been redecorated to represent 18 different types of Pokémon ranging from Normal to Steel and Fairy. The character itself has also been spotted around the capitol prior to the championship. Check out the article to see pictures of the new cabin designs.
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) launched a survey to gage the publics opinion on Clearwater Beach Aerial Gondola. The survey is open to all residents in Tampa Bay in an effort to gather the purpose, need and potential use of a system. TBARTA continues to analyze system cost and potential funding options. A system here would be the first gondola system used for transit in Florida. Check out the official project website here. SCJ Alliance, the parent company of the Gondola Project, had been retained to provide gondola expertise for this project.

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19
Aug

2022

Weekly Roundup: More people beginning to understand the benefit of cable cars as public transportation

London’s public transit cable cars operated by Transport for London, Photo on Wikimedia by James Petts, (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Prairie Sky Gondola project in Edmonton has been cancelled. City council voted 12 to one to terminate the city’s agreement with Prairie Sky Gondola due to several reasons, including the financial risk to the city and the idea of building on the Rossdale Burial Site. The opposition believes the project can still advance if revised to avoid the Indigenous burial site and if more Indigenous consultation is conducted. See a related Weekly Roundup here. SCJ Alliance, the parent company of the Gondola Project, had been retained to provide gondola expertise for this project.
As more urban cities integrate cable cars as public transit, more people are understanding the benefits. Since 2008 the idea of building a cable car, Câble 1, in Paris has been around. The 4.5-km system is estimated to move 10,000 people per day between the southeast suburbs to a Metro Line station. The journey will take 17 minutes. Cable cars are a method that cities can use to manage traffic congestion in a more economical and eco-friendly way. See a related Weekly Roundup here.
Big Mountain Ski Resorts advances the installation of its new high-speed six-passenger chairlift. Foundations were poured using a helicopter in select areas where access was challenging and dangerous by truck. Leitner-Poma is working on building, galvanizing, and inspecting the chairlift equipment. Once all parts are delivered the installation will also be done with a helicopter. The chairlift is faster and larger, giving guests a ride that takes less than 5 minutes and moves 3,000 guests per hour.

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05
Aug

2022

Weekly Roundup: System failure at the Singapore cable car leaves 18 people stranded for 1.5 hours

Cable Car between Sentosa Island and Mount Faber in Singapore, Photo by Uwe Schwarzbach on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The pulse gondola system for the Eaglecrest Ski Area is in transit and set to arrive at the beginning of September. All the pieces were loaded and traveled the two-day road trip from Austria to Antwerp, Belgium and are now on a sea voyage to the Lower 48. Once they arrive, the containers will take a 15–20-day trek by rail and truck to Washington state. Finally, the pulse system parts will travel up through the Inside Passage to Juneau. The article includes a link where you can track the sea voyage. Check out a related Weekly Roundup here. SCJ Alliance, the parent company of the Gondola Project, has been retained to provide gondola expertise for this project.
The cable car system in Prague, Czech Republic from Podbaba to Bohince has chosen London Studio architects William Matthews Associates to design the stations and cableway supports. Prague Transport Company (DPP) tendered an architectural competition for the design of the three stations and five towers. 23 firms applied, which was then narrowed down to the selected designers. The tricable detachable system (TDG)/3S system will serve as the missing connection between Prague 8 and Prague 6 and should transport up to 2,300 people per hour. Check out the contestant proposals and renderings here.
A system failure occurred at the Singapore Cable Car causing passengers to be stranded for about an hour and a half. The cable cars unexpectedly stopped, stranding 18 passengers in six cabins outside of stations. The passengers were all safely unloaded at the nearest station before the system was restarted. The cable car returned to full operation the following day, after the proper safety checks had been done.
An unfortunate accident occurred on Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Aerial Tram, placing a contractor in the hospital after being in an unauthorized area. The resort hired Tower Painters Inc. to do routine maintenance tightening bolts on the towers. The contractor was on the catwalk adjacent to the saddles when the arm holding the tram onto the rope came across tower 5 and struck the contractor. The contractor is in serious condition with a significant back injury.
The proposed Prairie Sky Gondola (PSG), in Edmonton awaits council review of $1.125M annual conditional agreement to lease public lands. The agreement would maintain the public lands at a set annual market price for 30 – 90 years. The conditions for the agreement are that PSG will pay for building, maintaining, and operating and will give the city a decommissioning bond. Another condition includes working with the Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) to integrate the gondola with the public transit system. The plan is to use the same ETS, Arc cards to pay for fares. There are still some questions about logistics and details to be answered before the review. Check out a related Weekly Roundup here. SCJ Alliance, the parent company of the Gondola Project, has been retained to provide gondola expertise for this project.

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14
Jan

2016

Hamilton Gondola — We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

NOTE: An earlier version of this post originally appeared on December 4th, 2009 (yup, that’s over 7 years ago, kids). At that time, the report “City of Hamilton Higher Order Transit Network Strategy” was available online. Unfortunately, it is no longer available.

Sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know and that’s really nobody’s fault.

For example:

In the spring of 2007 a working paper by IBI Group called City of Hamilton Higher Order Transit Network Strategy came out. For those who don’t know, Hamilton is a city in southern Ontario that is cut in half by a 700 kilometer long limestone cliff that ends at Niagara Falls. It’s called the Niagara Escarpment and has made higher-order transit connections between the Upper and Lower cities difficult.

You See The Difficulty

In the IBI paper the writers conclude that a connection between the Upper and Lower cities is “physically impossible” and that the Niagara Escarpment Commission might “strongly resist” any new crossings of the escarpment. As such, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) became the focus and preferred technology of the report. That’s because streetcars and Light Rail can’t handle inclines of more than about 10 degrees. The only way for a rail based technology to work, IBI concluded, was if a tunnel or viaduct was built.

No where in the report, however, was Cable Propelled Transit (CPT) even mentioned, despite cable’s ability to resolve most if not all of the issues IBI highlighted.

It’s no real surprise. Back in 2007 there was virtually no publicly accessible research available on cable. Believe me, I know; I had just started my research in 2007 and it was incredibly difficult to find anything.

Should IBI have considered cable? Should they have known about cable? I don’t know . . . and furthermore, I don’t think it’s relevant to this discussion. What you don’t know, you don’t know and that’s all there is to it.

What is, however, relevant to our discussion is this:

Photoshop of a gondola traversing the Hamilton Escarpment. Image via Hamilton Spectator.

The City of Hamilton is now updating their Transportation Master Plan and they’re surveying the public on their opinions. And the survey includes a question on gondolas. Last summer, meanwhile, around half of the people that responded at Hamilton’s Transportation Master Plan public meetings said they liked the gondola concept.

So why does that matter?

Because in less than 7 years’ time, a large North American city made a complete about-face on this matter. They went from a place where they thought (incorrectly) that a specific transit problem could not be solved with a fixed link solution due to their topography; to a place where they are actively soliciting the public’s opinion on using a gondola to solve the very problem they previously thought couldn’t be solved.

I know people in the cable car industry think seven years is a lifetime. And it is. But not to a large municipal bureaucracy. To a city, seven years is a heartbeat. In a heartbeat, Hamilton went from basically not even knowing cable cars exist to considering it as a part of their overall Transportation Master Plan.

That’s progress no matter how you look at it.

Creative Commons image by John Vetterli

Analysis / Hamilton / Research Issues / Urban Planning & Design

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The Gondola Project

Posts Tagged: Urban Gondola

Weekly Roundup: Alyeska Aerial Tram provides spectacular views all year round

Weekly Roundup: History of Table Mountain Aerial Cableway

Weekly Roundup: Doppelmayr has just released the new TRI-Line gondola

Weekly Roundup: Work to begin soon on $35 million gondola at Grouse Mountain

Weekly Roundup: More people beginning to understand the benefit of cable cars as public transportation

Weekly Roundup: System failure at the Singapore cable car leaves 18 people stranded for 1.5 hours

Hamilton Gondola — We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

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