Fansipan, mountain in Vietnam’s Lao Cai province. Image by Flickr user ePi.Longo.
A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of cable cars, urban gondolas, and cable propelled transit:
- Fansipan, the highest point in Indochina at 3,143m, may soon see a $210 million, 7km 3S/TDG (tricable detachable gondola) connecting Sapa to Muong Hoa Valley and the Fansipan peak. Once complete, the 3S gondola will be the first of its kind in Asia and will reduce a 2 day trek to a 15 minute journey.
- Hello Kitty fever has affected many transport systems in the past and perhaps unsurprisingly, it has finally reached a cable car system – the Maokong Gondola in Taiwan. The cable car, which has been losing money since 2010, hopes that the rebranding will attract more visitors.
- Built as a temporary installation, the Koblenz Rheinseilbahn did not have a storage/maintenance facility. However, due to UNESCO’s decision to allow operations to continue, operators are now planning to dismantle and (re)build several facilities such as the ticket booth and locker area. Included in these renovations appears to be the construction of a new maintenance building at the mountain station.