A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of cable cars, urban gondolas, and cable propelled transit:
- The Santubong cable car project in Malaysia is back on again. Originally proposed in 2005, the project has received much opposition from the public but this past week the Tourism Minister announced new studies being done on the project. The cable car will run from Pasir Pandak family park to Santubong. Other details to be released soon.
- The Department of Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir are planning an upgrade to their gondola, a system which has bringing in millions in revenue for years.
- The London Cable Car (Emirates Air Line) hit the half million mark. Last Sunday, the 500,000th passenger was reported to have ridden the system. Now, as the Olympics comes to a close and summer tourism slows, Transport for London will be able to start to gauge true ridership numbers.
- News that the stalled Bukit Larut cable car project is still being considered has people up in arms (again). Many believe the project to be unnecessary and disturbing to an otherwise tranquil place.
- A gondola in Austria was struck by lightning, stranding 150 tourists temporarily. No one was on board when it was hit and everyone made it down safely.
- The Government of Cantabria in Spain has awarded AC Proyectos the contract for a new cable project — Mirador del Pas — that will connect the town of Pandillo with Alto de Dujos. The hope is that the system will bring tourists and jobs to the area. The team now has 12 months to draft the plan. The government wants the system operational in two years time.
2 Comments
I don’t know the ins and outs of the Bukit Larut proposal but I find the comment below very interesting.
“I would prefer to take a different mode of transportation to go uphill. Firstly, a ride on a 4WD will keep you close to nature and you can stop if you want to.
Secondly, a cable car ride will only show you the tops of the trees.
What difference is a cable car ride to the peak in just 12 minutes compared to a 30-minute drive up the 13km journey to the 1,250m peak?”
If the commenter had ridden the Cairns Skyrail they’d might have a different outlook. Firstly flying above jungle in a gondola is tranquil and fascinating. And the road could be closed to cars and 4WDs (I’d hate to ride in a 4WD if the other option was an aerial gondola) and be used for bicycles. Take the gondola to the top with your bike and then coast down the 13km road from the top. That would be fantastic.
The length of trip point is interesting, though. A lot of the tourist systems are run slower so that riders can enjoy the trip for longer. Maybe 12 minutes is too quick and they should lengthen that time so it is more on par with the 4WD trip.