Monday, December 9, 2024

Could Cable Cars come to Addis?

The Addis Ababa Transport Bureau is in talks with US based company Doppelmayr to build a 5 to 7km length cable car on the outskirts of Addis Ababa.
The solar powered cars can accommodate up to 35 people. They can perform the work of 200 buses in one hour. The company proposes building the car from Jemmo- Vatican, Klinto – Hayat, Legeatfao- Hayat and Bole Bulbula to Bole.
The Addis Ababa Bureau is ordering the company to conduct a feasibility study in one area.
Marc Funda, Doppelmayr’s International Business Development Transport planning head told Capital that the construction will begin soon once they come to an agreement.
“Like any other major city in the world Addis Ababa experiences long traffic jams which wastes a lot of time so we are hoping this will work out and we can get people moving.”
The cost of one cable railway depends on the length, geography and number of cars. If the cost benefit analysis looks positive the cars will come to the city.
A Cable car is a type of cable railway used for mass transit where rail cars are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required. Cable cars are distinct from funiculars, where the cars are permanently attached to the cable, and cable railways, which are similar to funiculars, but where the rail vehicles are attached and detached manually.
Cable Cars have no engine or motor on the cars themselves. The power source is centralized in the cable car barn and powerhouse.
Doppelmayr was a world-renowned Austrian ropeway manufacturer that began exporting surface lifts to North America in the 1950s under the name “Alpine Lift.” The first Doppelmayr chairlift in North America was installed at Marmot Basin, Alberta, in 1968.

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