Installations
15
Jun
Jun
2017
System Dossier: Nizhny Novgorod Cableway (Нижегородская канатная дорога)
View of the Cableway approaching Bor, Russia. Image by Wiki user Алексей Белобородов.
Nizhny Novgorod is a Russian city that is situated at the confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers and is the administrative center of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and Volga Federal District. Since its founding in 1221, the city has been known as a vital economic and trading center within the Volga region, which led to the saying of ‘St. Petersburg is Russia’s head; Moscow its heart; and, Nizhny Novgorod its wallet’.
Today, Nizhny is the fifth largest city in Russia and is frequently referred to as the country’s third capital. However, the city is characterized as a very calm and laid-back city — one where the citizens like to wake up late and go to bed early.
Nizhny Novgorod Cableway crossing the Volga river. Image by Flickr user Evgeny Gorodetsky.
Getting around Nizhny is fairly easy thanks to the city’s network of buses, trams, 2-line metro system, and of course, the cable car. The Nizhny Novgorod Cableway (NNC), which is integrated into the public transportation network, is a 3.6-kilometer MDG system built by POMA that transports passengers from the downtown center of Nizhny to the outlying municipality of Bor.
The cable car has reduced a circuitous 27km journey over highways and roads down to a direct and comfortable 3.6km ride across the Volga River. Thanks to the gondola, travel times have been cut from 90 minutes to just 13 minutes.
One of the two 82m tall towers. Image by Flickr user Vladislav Maslenov.
The system was initially designed to transport commuters but quickly turned into a popular ride for visitors, boosting local tourism. At only 80 rubles ($1.50 USD), the cable car is a very cost-effective transport solution for all travellers, offering a unique bird’s eye view of the surrounding landscape.
The NNC system carries about 2 million passengers per year and is notable for its 861m long span between two 82m tall towers and the 3.6km long span between the two stations. Both are very impressive accomplishments and show the impressive technological growth and innovation within the ropeway industry.
—
—
| Year opened | 2012 |
| Length (km) | 3.6 |
| Stations | 2 |
| Capacity (pphpd) | 1000 |
| Speed (m/s) | 5.0 |
| Trip time (minutes) | 13 |
| Fare (rubles) | 80 ($1.50 USD) |
09
Jun
Jun
2017
Photo of the Week: Brest Cable Car (Téléphérique de Brest)
A photo posted by Will.bzh (@will.bzh) on
07
Jun
Jun
2017
System Dossier: Bursa Teleferik (Bursa Gondola)
The Bursa Teleferik. Image by Flickr user Kaan Süleymanoglu.
Uludağ is a highly regarded mountain and recreational resort situated at the highest peak of the western Anatolia region in Turkey. The resort is a year-round attraction that offers skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer.
Access to the popular vacation destination has been served by an aerial tram that has connected the ski resort to the nearby Turkish city of Bursa since 1963. However, by 2012, the cable car was considered outdated and the city decided to install a new ropeway system. As such, Bursa commissioned LEITNER Ropeways to build a record setting gondola.
The Bursa Teleferik. Image by Flickr user ustegen.
The new 8.8km cable car, completed in 2014, officially became the world’s longest monocable detachable gondola (MDG). The system begins its journey at Teferrüç station located at the southern end of Bursa. From there, the cable car travels through two more stations (Kadıyayla, and Saralan) before it reaches the summit of the Uludağ at Kurbağa Kaya station.
Each station, designed by Turkish architect Yamaç Korfali, offers their own various services from shopping centers to restaurants to hotels. To reach the top of the Uludağ, the cable car climbs a vertical distance of 1,400 meters.
The Bursa Teleferik. Image by Flickr user sinan özcan.
One of the many advantages of the upgraded ropeway is that it significantly increases accessibility to the resort. Previously, the only way to access the resort was through 35 kilometres of winding road.
Another advantage of the cable car is that this transportation option has become its own popular attraction. Many visitors ride the cable car to simply view the region’s lush vegetation and wildlife during the 25-minute trip to Uludağ. The Bursa Teleferik demonstrates that cable technology can be a reliable transport option for hard-to-reach locations while also giving its passengers an unforgettable ride experience.
| Year opened (reopened) | 1963 (2014) |
| Length (km) | 8.8 |
| Stations | 4 |
| Capacity (pphpd) | 1,500 |
| Trip time (minutes) | 25 |
| Speed (m/s) | 6.0 |
| Fare | 20 Turkish Liras (10 USD) |
01
Jun
Jun
2017
La Paz Celebrates Three Years of Cable Car Operations
Red Line. Image by Flickr user Jamil Soria.
It might be a little hard to believe, but it has been three years since La Paz-El Alto’s first urban cable car system was built. On May 29, 2014, the Red Line (Spanish: Línea Roja) started providing passenger service between the plateaus of El Alto and the highlands of La Paz.
Since then, three more Cable Propelled Transit (CPT) lines have opened — the Yellow Line, Green Line and Blue Line — resulting in 15km of urban gondolas. Averaged out over the years, this means that about 7.9m of ropeways have been built each day.
Incredibly the work is not even half complete. Seven more cable lines are scheduled to open between now and 2019, with plans to inaugurate the White Line and Orange Line by late 2017. Once the entire urban gondola network is complete, 39 stations and nearly 34km of CPT will be operational.
Metropolitan Integration Network map showing all eleven CPT lines. Image from Mi Teleferico.
Leading the charge to transform urban mobility in the city is the young public company, Mi Teleférico and Austrian ropeway manufacturer, Doppelmayr. Mi Teleférico’s mandate is not only to modernize La Paz-El Alto’s chaotic transport network but to address socio-economic issues related to a rapidly growing city. For instance, cable car stations have become the focal point for community fairs and health care centres.
Before the gondola lines were built, travel was often stressful, unpredictable and time-consuming as existing roadways were congested with minibuses and cars. Today, high stress levels from travelling on roadways has been reduced as the CPT lines provide commuters with a reliable, efficient and comfortable transport alternative.
With each passing day, the cable car has seemingly become more and more integral to the daily lives of its citizens. Recently on May 17, 2017, the urban gondola network set another daily ridership record with 190,971 passengers. This is 11,095 more passengers or a 6.1% increase than the previous record set in June 13, 2016.
From nearly any perspective, whether one is examining the cable car network from an economic, social, and/or environmental lens, the system has been an incredible success. Some of the most remarkable highlights include:
- Avoided consumption of ten million litres of gasoline (2014-2016)
- Transported more than 70 million passengers since inception without any serious accidents/injuries
- Network availability rate of 99.7%
- Saved 816,000,000 minutes in travel time (2016)
Perhaps the most incredible result stemming from Mi Teleférico is related to its financial viability. Unlike most public transit systems, the urban cable car network in La Paz requires zero subsidies. In fact, a surplus of US$2.5 million (Bs 17.5 million) was actually generated in 2016.
This effectively places Mi Teleférico amongst an incredibly rare and elite class of transit systems with a farebox recovery ratio of more than 100%. Based on online data, La Paz would be 1 out of 8 transit agencies that meets this threshold and would be the only mass transit system in South America in this exclusive class.
As the only major city in the world to build its entire rapid transit backbone on CPT technology, La Paz’s cable cars continues to be trailblazers in the urban transport industry. Given its successes so far, the future looks bright for the world’s highest city.
26
May
May
2017
System Dossier: Bondinho Aparecida (Aparecida Cable Car)
Bondinho Aparecida approaching the Morro de Cruzeiro. Image by Flickr user Fábio Canhim
Aparecida is a quaint city in Brazil located approximately halfway between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The city is a center of religious tourism that sees 11 million tourists who flock to the city on an annual basis to experience the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida – the largest Marian shrine in the world, the second largest church in the world, and also the origin of the city’s name. Another popular tourist hotspot is the Morro de Cruzeiro, a religious hill that overlooks the city. On top of the hill lies access to the Torre Mirante, another attraction that acts as a lookout tower.
Bondinho Aparecida overlooking the National Shrine. Image by Flickr user Fábio Canhim
To improve connectivity between these two sites, private developers financed a 1.1-kilometer cable car that takes passengers on a vertical rise of 117 meters from the base of the National Shrine to the top of the Morro do Cruzeiro. The MDG system, known to the city as the “cable car of the patroness” is operated by the tourist agency Bontur. In the first year of operation, the cable car, which consists of 47 cabins holding 6 passengers each, attracted over one million riders. This demonstrates the ropeway’s popularity amongst tourists. On the ride passengers can experience incredible views of the city and the National Shrine.
However, despite the success of the gondola, its construction didn’t come without conflict. During the development phase of the gondola, many residents of Aparecida were unhappy with the cable car route as the ropeway crossed over several residential homes and a neighborhood cemetery.
Some residents described the gondola’s setting as “disrespectful”, and “an invasion of privacy” while others described it as the best thing to have happened in the city. Therefore, while ropeways can add a unique charm to the city, they can also cause problems with local residents. Developers should be conscious of these issues when constructing cable cars and should make great efforts to work collaboratively with the local community.
| Year opened | 2014 |
| Length (km) | 1.1 |
| Capacity (pphpd) | 1500 |
| One-way fare (Brazilian Real) | 14 |
| Stations | 2 |
