Payvand Iran News reports that Iran is to begin construction on the world’s longest gondola system in the city of Orumieh this Saturday. The system (or the report) is too strange for words.
The tourist system is to be 36 km long and would be made up of three separate sections. If the vehicles pass from one section to another without forcing customers to disembark, then, yes, this would be the longest such system in the world.
If however, passengers have to disembark at intermediary stations and assuming each section to be equal in length, then the Nörsjo Aerial Ropeway in Sweden is likely to hold onto the title of “world’s longest.”
That’s a somewhat minor quibble. The rest of the report, however, is pure bizarreness:
- “2000 individuals can be moved per hour while staying in the gondola lift for 17 minutes.” Huh? What does that even mean?
- The report says the vehicles would travel at 6 m/s (21.6 km/hr). That means the journey from end-to-end would last 1 hour, 40 minutes. Again: Where does this 17 minutes come from?
- “The project needs 5 billion dollars and 120 thousand euro…” What?
- 5 billion dollars… I’m hoping they mean Iranian currency.
- 120 thousand euro… What?
One can only assume this is just stuff getting lost in translation. But in case it isn’t…
What?