The future of urban transport is a real social and environmental issue and is at the heart of ongoing discussions among communities. The pioneering city of Medellín was the first municipality to use a new urban mobility solution by integrating an overhead ropeway line into its network in 2004. Metrocable’s first line, “Line K”, which is connected to the metro, created a link between the inhabitants and the city centre. This new urban mobility, made possible by the new lines, has reinforced the social cohesion in local areas by connecting sectors that had long been isolated.

After the success of this first gondola lift, Medellín continued to develop the “proyecto de Ciudad” city project by adding 5 other lines to the network: line J (2007), line L (2010), line H (2016), line M (2019) and finally line P (2021).

Open 7 days a week, 19 hours a day, the Metrocable provides the inhabitants of Medellín with a safe, fast and efficient mode of transport between the city centre and its outskirts. The network of cable cars now stretches over 14 kilometres, directly connected to the different lines of the Medellín Metro by multimodal stations. Each year, more than 220 million people use the city's transport system, demonstrating a successful social inclusion model that offers a new quality of life to the city's residents through social connections and increasingly attractive neighbourhoods.

Thanks to this sustainable mobility solution and its proven energy efficiency, air pollution has been cut for the inhabitants of Medellín. This is because the extent of the Metrocable transport system is such that it contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions and improves air quality by offering an alternative to road traffic.

Namur residents will remember the first cable car installed in 1956 that took them to the top of the citadel up until 1997. Namur'snew gondola takes a different route today, rising over the Sambre and linking the city centre from Maurice Servais Square to the upper station on the Citadel's Esplanade, a stone's throw from the Digital Pavilion, a legacy from the Milan World Expo.

The gondola is both a useful link and an environmental plus, offering an alternative traffic route in the Walloon capital.

Designed to blend in with the urban landscape, the gondola's contemporary architecture respects this unique site. The two stations, built from Namur's typical red brick, blend discreetly with the surroundings. The technical parts of the gondola are well camouflaged and the ingenious design of the transparent glass surfaces allows perfect integration with the surrounding buildings. Careful attention has been paid to the installation of the towers. Of the four on the line, only one is obviously visible, the others merging discretely with the Terra Nova trees.

The designers were also careful to minimise the noise levels of the drive station. To reduce energy usage, the Diamond cabins are equipped with solar panels that power interior and exterior LED lighting.

At the beginning of 2019, Hyundai Engineering & Construction awarded leading ropeway transportation company, POMA, the EPCI contract* to provide the 48 capsules for the world's newest and biggest observation wheel “Ain Dubai”.
POMA has been designing and building largescale projects in the Entertainment sector for many years. A project of this scale calls for the highest levels of technological expertise, combined with unparalleled know-how.

Forty-eight outsized and completely original capsules, each able to accommodate up to 40 people, were designed, built and installed in a record time of less than 24 months.

Innovating and designing exactly the right engineering solutions while guaranteeing safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, is part of POMA's DNA.

The Group has, in particular, fine-tuned its engineering expertise and its unique technical prowess in the sector through involvement in the delivery of numerous special projects:

• Big observation wheels in London with the London Eye and in Las Vegas with the High Roller
• Other complex projects, in particular the incredible British Airways i360 observation tower in Brighton…
• Regular provision of capsules for smaller observation wheels: Baku, Chicago, Hong Kong…

As well as mastering the technology to successfully complete complex projects, POMA benefits from an agile organization enabling close joint-construction with the customer or managing the Group's multicultural and multi-expert teams and its subcontractors, who, for the “Ain Dubai” project, were coordinated from France but based in seven countries on four different continents.

The design and manufacture of the 48 capsules for “Ain Dubai” was a fast track project, carried out in under two years. This project clearly demonstrates the French Group's ability to export its services, tackle innovative projects and handle tight deadlines.

Confronted by the uncertainty of the health crisis, POMA's teams had to adapt almost continuously to deliver the 48 capsules and limit the impact on the construction site to a minimum.

BOURG-SAINT-MAURICE

The municipality invested in the renovation of its emblematic funicular railway. The “Arcs Express” offers a direct link between Les Arcs and the railway network in just  7 minutes, 7 days a week.

The new trainsets which have a glass roof and which,thanks to the driver’s station moved to the center of the cabin, offers new panoramic spaces at the front and at the rear for an exceptional view of the valley. 100% electric, for an eco-responsible approach, the municipality of Bourg Saint Maurice also wished to pay particular attention to the integration of the funicular into its environment through an elegant design and careful LED lighting.

L'ALPE D'HUEZ

The Alpe Express already connects the centre of the resort to the ski front, and soon phase 2 of the project will connect the village of Huez. The gondola lift is a zero-particle mode of transport that effectively replaces the traffic handled by numerous road shuttle services previously.

The lift is equipped with the DirectDrive® solution and the Cable Position System, an on-board safety device. This unique mode of transport will be the first peri-urban system to operate without an agent in France.

IN GEORGIA 

A valley lift now connects the resort of Gudauri to the town of Kobi. This infrastructure will also make some snowy areas more accessible, areas that sometimes could not even be reached in June!

LES MENUIRES

For a quick journey to the heart of the three valleys, the 2001 POMA gondola lift connecting Saint-Martin-de-Belleville with the Les Ménuires resort was renovated.

First in terms of its electrics, with the latest advances from SEMER, but also more noticeably for users, since the number of gondolas increased from 48 to 64, for more space and added comfort. Capacity has increased to 2,400 p/h.

IN CHINA

The city of Lianshi, in Guizhou province, wanted to move towards mountain tourism. This is how Meihuashan International Ski Resort was born on the heights of the city, around a 4-season offer, combining winter sports, with the creation of a ski resort, and outdoor sports activities.

POMA then accompanied the economic metamorphosis of Lianshi with the construction of two “Meihuashan Lift” gondolas of nearly 10km which now provide the link between the former mining town and the mountain carrying 1,500 passengers per hour. At the intermediate station, visitors can enjoy the panoramic restaurant, located a stone’s throw from the new cable car.

The second section then takes them to the ski area, hotels and small shops in the resort. New leisure activities within reach of the city, in just a few minutes.

COURCHEVEL

Like the Grangettes gondola lift, the new Le Praz gondola lift and its 47 EVO gondolas featuring LED lighting and equipped with solar panels will link the village of Le Praz, where a car park was recently added, and the centre of Courchevel year-round.

During the world championships, which Courchevel will host in 2023, this ropeway will carry the crowds directly to the foot of the snowshoe trail and will be the main gondola lift during the competition.

PEYRAGUDES

A new gondola lift now connects the village of Loudenvielle to the resort of Peyragudes in less than 9 minutes.

The Skyvall gondola lift is the central feature of a new comprehensive range of tourist activities, in which skiing, hiking, mountain biking and wellness can be combined according to the season, with the appropriate equipment. Another major advantage of this valley lift is that it should reduce car traffic and thus significantly decrease CO2 emissions in the valley.

South Korea, with more than 50 million inhabitants, is a powerhouse of Asia’s economy. POMA and South Korea’s story began almost 40 years ago, when the first ropeways were installed to accompany the development of the ski resorts. The first POMA surface lift was installed in Yongpyong, not only the first but also the largest ski resort in South Korea, created in 1975. Since then, more than 60 POMA lifts have been set up in the Korean ski areas.
This market is now relatively stable, after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which contributed significantly to the structuring of the mountain landscape. Later, the market reached a turning point in tourism with projects popping up along the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan to the east and the Korea Strait in the south, which surrounds 90% of the country. The many cities and metropolises compete with imagination to attract tourists to these beautiful, very rugged coasts, scattered with many islands and popular beaches.

The tourist project inaugurated on 6 September connects the city of Mokpo to the island of Gohado. The link is more than 3 km long and passes through the famous Yudalsan Sculpture Park, where you will find Gatbawi Rock, a site popular with Koreans and international tourists alike. The trip, aboard one of the 55 glass gondolas, is accessible to people with reduced mobility to offer all travellers an unrestricted view of the city, the archipelago and the ocean at an unprecedented and impressive height of almost 150 m at its highest peak, from the highest cement tower ever made in the world.

Another record held by the Mokpo gondola lift: its gondolas fly over the ocean for 1.2 km, making it the longest rope span between two towers in the world for a single-rope device!

The middle station has an angle of 68°. It allows the gondola lift, once the stretch of water has been crossed, to reach the city of Mokpo by flying over Dalseong Park, the 12 monumental sculptures of Yudalsan, the sanctuaries and the numerous hiking paths on this mountain, while preserving this unique site.

American Eagle

Copper Mountain, located 120km from Denver, is one of Colorado's favorite resorts.  With naturally divide piste rankings helps keep skier abilities separated in zones.  Unlike most ski resorts, Copper offers beginner terrain far West, intermediate in the middle and expert and open bowl skiing to the East. With a summit elevation of 3,753m Copper ranks in with the highest ski terrain in America. The American Eagle is Leitner Poma's first Telemix lift.  Six place chairs and eight place Sigma gondolas, services gentle slopes and the Solitude Station restaurant. The Eagle is one of three Direct Drive ropeways provided in America this year. The new lift increases capacity by 33% to 3200 pph.  The gondola operation is a favorite with the passengers heading to lunch at the Solitude restaurant.

TECHNICAL DATA

• Lenght : 1905 m
• Capacity : 3200
• Vertical rise : 452 m
• Number of cabins : 26
• Speed : 5 m/s
• Number of passengers per seats: 6

American Flyer

The American Flyer, located at Copper Mountain Colorado, may well be the longest bubble chairlift in the world.  Its impressive slope length of 3009 meters and its 182 six place blue bubble chairs makes it among the largest ever. It replaces an aging 1986 POMA 4-seater detachable chairlift and it is equipped with one of America's first Direct Drive models. At a very high top elevation of 3541 meters, subjects passengers to very cold and windy weather conditions.  The bubble enclosures are very popular with Coppers guests.  The string of blue bubble chairs places a very visible signature on the mountain unlike any other major resort.

TECHNICAL DATA

• Lenght : 3009 m
• Capacity : 2400
• Vertical rise : 580 m
• Number of seats : 182
• Speed : 5 m/s
• Number of passengers per seat : 6

Winter Park is one of Americas oldest ski resorts, it opened in 1939. Train service from Denver makes this one of Colorado's favorite ski resorts. Very popular with Denver and the Front Range skiers, Winter Park is among the largest resorts in America. Exclusively, Leitner Poma has provided all their lifts since the early 1980's. The Zephyr DCL4, which is named after the trans-continental train connection that travels through the base area, was replaced this summer. The new 10-passenger gondola lift is a significant upgrade for the resort and provides day and night access to the mountain top “Sunspot” restaurant.The gondola, which uses Sigma 10 place cabins, is 1714 meters in length and 3600 pph in both directions.

TECHNICAL DATA

• Lenght : 11714 m
• Capacity : 3600
• Vertical rise : 489 m
• Number of cabins : 75
• Speed : 5,5 m/s
• Number of passengers per seats: 10