Constructional solutions for increasing the capacities of cable cars

Abstract

Cableways have some potential to be used in urban public transportation, particularly uni-directional aerial cable cars with circulating cabins, called gondolas. They have several advantages, but two major problems must be solved: the capacity and the operating speed are not competitive when compared to other means of urban mass transport because of boarding procedures and slowing down and accelerating on intermediate stations. This paper presents constructional solutions that address these problems. It proposes that boarding takes place on at least two platforms; these could be on the same level or on separate levels. At intermediate stations certain cabins are diverted to an extra platform while the majority of cabins travel with unreduced speed. Following this constructional approach, the nominal capacity of gondolas could be doubled while increasing the operational travel speed on lines with lot of intermediate stops.