Photo Credit: Joe Mabel [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Urban gondolas could be the complement Seattle needs for its new light rail, according to The Urbanist. The article cites that the minimal footprint and cost of a ropeway system compared to alternative modes of rapid transit, such as a subway or elevated line, make for a better last mile alternative.
Ajloun cable car in Jordan is expected to open in June of 2021. The 2.85 km system, designed to increase tourism, will be a monocable gondola with 8-person cabins. The line will have three stations and carry visitors to the Ajloun Castle. Construction and development near the stations will bring cafes, restaurants, a five-star hotel and other attractions.
Simon Frazer University’s new president is pushing for the Burnaby Mountain gondola. The system will connect the SFU campus to the SkyTrain station. Currently, three different alignments are being analyzed by TransLink. The gondola is estimated to cost $197 million and have a lower operating cost than the current bus service.
A new cable car project in Penang, Malaysia is expected to get underway by the end of 2020, carrying people from the Penang Botanic Garden to Penang Hill. Currently, visitors make the trip via a funicular or roadway. The funicular, which carries 100 people per trip, has proven unreliable and has considerable wait times due to limited space at the top of Penang Hill. A gondola spreads out the number of people arriving at the top at one time, as well as reduces wait times for getting up and down the hill.