One Ropeway – Two World Records

Press

27. June 2016

One Ropeway – Two World Records

The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group has built a reversible aerial tramway across Ha Long Bay in Northern Vietnam which puts all previous ropeway dimensions in the shade. Each of the two cabins provides space for 230 passengers and the tramway also boasts the world’s tallest ropeway tower with a height of 188.88 meters. In fact, pretty much everything on this installation, which was officially opened on June 25, 2016, can be described as XXL.

Vietnam’s current climate of investment in tourism infrastructure can be compared to the upbeat mood seen in the Alps in the mid-20^th century. Ha Long Bay in the north of the country also ranks as one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist attractions. With the opening of the new tramway on June 25, 2016, the seven million visitors who head for this area every year will now be able ride across the “bay of the descending dragon” in comfort. From the lower terminal located in the Bai Chay district of Ha Long City, the new aerial tramway runs to the top of Ba Deo Hill. The know-how of the Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group has enabled the construction of the world’s biggest reversible aerial tramway, which puts all previous ropeway dimensions in the shade. The same investor has built an amusement park on Ba Deo Hill, where the main attraction is an observation wheel that gives tourists an extensive view across Ha Long Bay. The customer is the Sun Group, which has invested heavily in a wide range of tourism projects in recent years and made sure that these were implemented to meet international standards. The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group has already completed a number of ropeway projects on behalf of the Sun Group in the past few years. Further installations are already under construction, including a world record 3S lift on the islands of Hòn Thơm and Phú Quốc.

The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group has achieved entirely new dimensions in the construction of the new reversible aerial tramway in Ha Long Bay, which simultaneously break two world records. Each of the double-decker cabins from CWA is built to carry 230 passengers, making these the biggest ropeway cabins in the world. A concrete tower has been erected on either side of the bay. The smaller of the two is 123.45 meters tall. The second tower rises to a height of 188.88 meters. Never before has a tower of this size been built for a reversible aerial tramway anywhere in the world. The height is also symbolic because eight is considered to be a lucky number in Vietnam. The rope span between the two towers is 1,206 meters, while the tramway has an overall length of 2,165 meters. The construction period was also remarkable. The time from the initial contact between the customer and Garaventa through to the opening in June 2016 was just 19 months – including the entire approval process. The installation satisfies all applicable European codes and standards (CEN standards) for the construction of ropeways.

The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group is quality leader in the ropeway sector. An in-depth understanding of customer needs and an ability to deliver solutions with professionalism and precision provide the foundation for the Group’s leadership of the world market. As ropeway technology leader, Doppelmayr has achieved many world firsts and set the milestones in modern ropeway engineering. The Group has production sites as well as sales and service subsidiaries in over 35 countries around the globe and to date has completed over 14,700 ropeway systems for customers in over 90 countries.

Fact box: 230-ATW Ha Long Queen Cable Car

Customer	Sun Group
Supplier	Garaventa AG
Location	Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Ropeway system	Reversible aerial tramway
Inclined length	2,165 m
Vertical rise	88.5 m
Stations	2
Towers	2 (123.45 m and 188.88 m)
Transport capacity	2,000 passengers per hour
Carrier capacity	230 passengers
Speed	10 m/s (36 km/h)