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Apr 06, 2018
Design Considerations, Engineering, Infrastructure, Innovations, Installations, Staubern Ropeway

Green Gondolas: Energy Neutral, Solar Powered Aerial Ropeway

As gondolas experience tremendous growth in the urban and recreational transport market, many decision-makers are now beginning to realize that ropeways are amongst the world’s most sustainable forms of transport. For instance, not only are gondolas able to create direct environmental benefits by producing less carbon emissions per passenger kilometre than trams and buses (under...

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May 05, 2017
Design Considerations, Engineering, Installations, Poços de Caldas Teleférico

Special Gondola Design: Cantilevered Towers

Thanks to our readers and the internet, documenting unique designs for Cable Propelled Transit (CPT) systems are now easier than ever before. Notable examples that immediately come to mind include the Finnish Sauna Gondola, the Singaporean Skyscraper Station and the Chinese Arching Roadway Tower. Unfortunately, it seems that lax record keeping in the industry has meant that many unique ropeway designs created...

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Sep 08, 2016
Brest Téléphérique / Gondola, Design Considerations, Engineering

Video: Brest Cable Car Showcases World’s First Cable “Overpass” Design

— After 2 months of testing, new footage of the Brest Cable Car (French: Téléphérique de Brest) has surfaced online. The cable lift operates in an aerial tram configuration — however, unlike your typical aerial tram, the manufacturers (Bartholet) have built an incredibly unique system known as the “saut de mouton à câble” or SDMC Concept. With this design, the two...

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Sep 01, 2016
Doppelmayr, Engineering, Proposals & Concepts, Wälderbahn

The Wälderbahn ‘City Cable Car’ Could Be The Game-Changer The Ropeway Industry Needs

One of the fundamental problems cable cars have always dealt with in the urban context is the conflict between not traversing privately owned lands and the necessity to only travel in straight lines with turns navigated solely at mid-stations. This has always made line optimization in urban environments incredibly challenging. The Wälderbahn ‘City Cable Car’...

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Apr 12, 2016
Doppelmayr, Engineering

Doppelmayr’s Innovative Recovery Concept – Unmatched Passenger Safety and Comfort

As we’ve pointed out before, gondolas are the safest form of transport in the world. Whether it’s data from United States, France or the Swiss Alps, cable cars have demonstrated their ability to transport riders in the most extreme topographical and meteorological conditions with unmatched safety and comfort. Despite its high safety record, Doppelmayr –...

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Mar 22, 2016
Doppelmayr, Engineering, Infrastructure, Innovations, Stations

Next-Gen Ropeway Designs: D-Line by Doppelmayr

This week Doppelmayr released footage of its next generation ropeway system for detachable lifts, the D-Line. Alongside Youtube videos of the terminal design, the manufacturer also showcased its new cabins and grips. — — Among a slew of new features in the remodeled stations, a few will be be particularly attractive in city environments: Real glass design Low...

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Dec 03, 2015
Engineering, Thought Experiments

3 Innovations In Gondola Transit

A thought experiment: You’re now the owner of the world’s largest cable gondola transit manufacturer on the planet. This could be a fictional company or a real company; it doesn’t matter. You’re told by your CEO that three (and only three) innovations must be developed to ensure the technology’s viability into the future. One innovation...

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Jul 20, 2015
Engineering, Innovations, New Ideas, Oddities

Ropeways for Waves Have Dudes Everywhere “Like Totally Stoked!”

Surfing is not just for beach boys and Internet users any more. Using LEITNER Ropeway’s DirectDrive technology, Wavegarden has partnered with the South Tyrolean company to design a system that creates the world’s longest artificial surfing wave. Consider the confluence: mountain technology bringing ocean shore culture inland. The system generates continuous waves with ropeway technology...

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Mar 25, 2015
Capabilities & Competencies, Design Considerations, Engineering

Quick Dwell Times Demonstrated Again – Steinbergbahn

The topic of dwell times has always been a gripping issue on the Gondola Project (see here and here). Arguably, this talking point is now increasingly important as more urban cable cars are built. And let’s be honest, in today’s fast-paced city centers, no one wants to spend a few minutes sitting in a station. We previously witnessed 40 second dwell...

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Oct 14, 2014
Engineering, Innovations

The Hybrid Monorail-Funicular-Cable Car?

Every so often we are confronted with wonderful and mysterious transportation devices (see Chinese Tunnel Bus). Today, we happen to come across the Sistema Monorail Con Funiculares (or the Monorail System With Funiculars) — a conceptual transit system designed by ECOLVIAS from Medellin, Colombia. There’s not much information about this technology but it does make me wonder what type of...

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