Cable car at Zell am See in the Austrian Alps.
An aerial tramway is a type of aerial lift, sometimes called a cable car or ropeway, and frequently incorrectly referred to as a gondola.
An aerial tramway consists of two or more loops of cable, and two passenger cabins. One of the cables is always fixed, and provides support for the cabins. The second cable is, by means of a grip, connected to the cabins. This second cable is usually driven by an electric motor, and, being connected to the cabins, moves them up or down the mountain. They differ from gondola lifts in that the latter use several smaller cabins circulating on a looped cable.
The two passenger cabins, which carry from 4 to over 100 people, are situated at opposite ends of the loops of cable. Thus, while one is coming up, the other is going down the mountain. Some aerial trams have only one cabin.
The original version was originally called telpherage, and was invented by engineer Fleeming Jenkin. Smaller telpherage systems are sometimes used to transport objects (such as tools or mail) within a building or factory.
Aerial tramways around the world
Middle-east
Iran
- The Tochal Tele-cabin which starts from the metropolitan Tehran and ends in the Tochal Ski Resort in the 3900m high. It has 7 stations and is one of the longest and most scenic in the world. A modern ski hotel hosts the skiers at the end of the tramway.
- Namakabrood aerial tramway, in the Mazandaran province of Iran. It starts at the sea level near the shores of the Caspian Sea and ends on the top of the Alborz heights crossing dense forest area of northern Iran.
Israel
Oceania
Australia
New Zealand
Asia
Hong Kong
India
- Gangtok – A ropeway is in operation in the eastern Himalayan town of Gangtok. The ropeway ferries tourists from one part of the city to another.
- Phelagham – in this ski resort in Jammu and Kashmir, the cable cars ferry passengers up the ski slopes.
Singapore
- Singapore cable car [1] (http://www.cablecar.com.sg) From Mount Faber to Sentosa Island; interesting in that it has an intermediate stop.
South Korea
Europe
France
- The Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi, opened in 1955, can carry 75 passengers in the first section and 65 passengers in the second section. It starts in Chamonix at the altitude of 1030 metres to Plan de l'Aiguille at 2317 metres for the first section. The second section arrives at the top of the Aiguille du Midi in a station at 3777 metres high. It is the highest aerial tramway in the world.Description from the Compagnie du Mont Blanc site (http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/fr/aiguille/aiguille_telepherique.htm)
- The Vanoise Express, opened in December 2003 at a cost of €15 million, is a double decker tramway for 200 passengers in each car. It spans the Ponturin gorge at a height of 380 metres (1250 feet) above the ground, linking the resorts of La Plagne and Les Arcs in four minutes to form the Paradiski ski resort. Unusually its two cars run independently of each other on separate cables. [2] (http://www.paradiski.com/gb/vanoise_express.htm)
Germany
- The Eibsee Seilbahn, which affords visitors access to Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze. There is also a cog railway up the Zugspitze.
- The Tegelbergbahn, or Tegelbahn, near Schwangau in Bavaria in beautiful Alpine scenery.
Italy
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
In Switzerland, many aerial tramways are in use, one of them (Adliswil-Felsenegg) even as part of Zürich's suburban public transport system.
Another well-known Swiss aerial tramway is the one to the Schilthorn mountain in the Bernese Oberland. It appeared in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. With a length of 6931 meters (22739 feet) in four tracks, it is the longest aerial tramway in the Alps and the world's longest aerial tramway system. It has 2103 meters (6900 feet) of elevation gain.
A complete list of publicly available Swiss aerial tramways (excluding other types of aerial lifts), is available at list of aerial tramways in Switzerland.
United Kingdom
Cable car from Matlock Bath in Derbyshire to Heights of Abraham
North America
Canada
United States
- Alyeska Ski Resort in Alaska
- The Cannon Mountain Tram in Franconia, New Hampshire.
- The tram at El Paso, Texas ascends the Franklin Mountains as part of the Texas State Park system.
- The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs, California, which transports passengers to the top of Mount San Jacinto.
- The Roosevelt Island Tramway, Manhattan, New York, USA, is a tourist attraction as well as the only aerial tramway in North America directed mainly at commuters. Portland, Oregon is building the Portland Aerial Tram for commuting, as well.
- The Sandia Peak Tramway in Albuquerque, New Mexico is the world's longest single span tramway.
- The tram at Snowbird, Utah, another ski-and-summer resort near Salt Lake City.
- At Squaw Valley ski resort, California, USA, the 'cable car' (aerial tramway) system takes skiers from the base to the mountain top.
- The skylift at Stone Mountain, near Atlanta.
- The tram at Jackson Hole, Wyoming has over 4000 feet of elevation gain.
Africa
South Africa
- Table Mountain has a rotating cable car ferrying passengers to and from the top of the mountain.
See also
External links
ca:telefèric
fr:Téléphérique
ja:索道
nl:Kabelbaan
