WIR 02/2018 [EN]

Passionate about
building ropeways
Garaventa is the Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group’s competence center for
reversible aerial tramways, funicular railways and custom installations.
W
hen Karl Garaventa built the first
ropeway to transport timber on
the Rigi in Switzerland in 1928, he
probably had no inkling of the fact that his
company was to have a major influence on
the history of ropeway construction. It is first
and foremost in the construction of large reversible
aerial tramways that Garaventa has
made a name for itself at both national and
international level. Significant milestones in
the company’s history include development
of the world’s first ROTAIR tramway in 1992 –
the system has cabins with a revolving floor –
and, just three years later, construction of the
world’s first aerial tramway with double-decker
cabins in Samnaun.
Competence and development
In 2002, the company joined forces with Austrian
ropeway experts Doppelmayr and merged
to form what is now the Doppelmayr/Garaventa
Group. Within the Group, Garaventa is the competence
and development center for reversible
aerial tramways, funicular railways and custom
installations, and provides comprehensive support
for its Swiss customers. The Swiss specialists
are also experts in the field of ropeway
installation. It was Garaventa, for example, who
took charge of installing the rope on major projects
such as the world-record tricable gondola
lift in Vietnam ( page 16). Garaventa customers
get everything from one source: comprehensive
project management, innovative engineering,
precision installation and reliable customer service
from day one of operation.
From the Hogwarts Express to the
Zugspitze cable car
“We are passionate about building ropeways
worldwide,” says István Szalai, CEO of Garaventa
AG. “In the fiscal year 2017/2018, Garaventa
completed 28 new installations and
18 modernization projects around the globe.”
Many of these new projects are the result of
long-standing partnerships. Garaventa draws
on a wealth of experience to develop ideas that
often lead to outstanding innovations. That is
illustrated, for example, by the new funicular
on the Stoos. This installation is not only extremely
impressive in terms of its technology
but also transports freight as well as passengers.
It succeeds in climbing maximum variations
in grade without the effects being felt by
the passengers ( page 11). The full extent of
Garaventa’s engineering ingenuity in the field
of ropeways is currently demonstrated by the
Zugspitze cable car, which sets no less than
three world records. It ranks as the aerial tramway
with the greatest vertical rise, the tallest
lattice tower and the longest unsupported rope
span. Implementation of the Ha Long Queen
Cable Car in Vietnam caused a sensation in
the international arena. Each of the tramway’s
double-decker cabins is designed to carry up
to 230 passengers. The famous Hogwarts Express
funicular to be found at Universal Studios
in Orlando, Florida, and based on the
renowned steam train from the Harry Potter
movies, was also the work of Garaventa.