Gulmarg Gondola
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| Gulmarg Gondola | |
|---|---|
 Gulmarg cable car. | |
   Location within Jammu and Kashmir | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Operational |
| Character | Recreational |
| Location | Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir |
| Country | India |
| Coordinates | 34°02′43″N 74°23′04″E / 34.04528°N 74.38444°E |
| Construction begin | 1998 |
| Open | 27 October 1998 |
| Last extension | 28 May 2005 |
| Website | www |
| Operation | |
| Operator | Jammu & Kashmir Cable Car Corporation |
| Operating times | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| Trips daily | 24 |
| Headway | 30 minutes |
| Trip duration | 9 minutes |
| Fare | 810 Indian Rupees (as of April 2024) for the first stage and 900 Indian Rupees (15 US$) for the second stage |
| Technical features | |
| Aerial lift type | Aerial tramway |
| Manufactured by | French firm Pomagalski |
Gulmarg Gondola in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir,is the second longest and second highest cable car in the world. [1] Higher lines include the Mi Teleférico in Bolivia and at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Background
[edit]
The two-stage gondola lift ferries about 600 people per hour to and from Kongdoori Mountain, a shoulder of nearby Apharwat Peak (4,260 m (13,976 ft)). The ropeway project is a joint venture of the Jammu and Kashmir government and French firm Pomagalski. The first stage transfers from the Gulmarg resort at 2,650 m (8,694 ft) to Kongdoori Station in the bowl-shaped Kongdori valley. The second stage of the ropeway, which has 36 cabins and 18 towers, takes skiers to a height of 3,980 m (13,058 ft) on Kongdoori Mountain, a shoulder of nearby Afarwat Peak (4,200 m (13,780 ft)). The second stage was completed in a record time of about two years at a cost of 180,000,000 Indian Rupees (i.e. some US$4.5 million) and opened on 28 May 2005. The French company had also built the first phase of the gondola project, connecting Gulmarg to Kongdoori, in 1998.
The timing of the gondola is 10 AM (IST) to 5 PM (It's highly dependent upon the weather at both stages). A gondola can carry six people at a time. The price is 700 Indian Rupees (11 US$) for the first stage and 900 Indian Rupees (15 US$) for the second stage. Also offered is Chair Cars for phase-II for 300/- INR. It takes approximately 9 minutes to reach the first stage and 12 minutes for second stage.
An accident occurred on 15 June 2017 due to an enormous pine tree being uprooted by a gust of wind and breaking the perspex windows on one of the gondola cabins. The gondola swung violently and its seven occupants fell 100 ft (30 m) to the ground; all were killed.[2] Gulmarg Gondola grossed revenue of about ₹ 100 crore in FY 2022-2023.
Gallery
[edit]-
Gulmarg gondola base station in May 2013 -
Gulmarg Kungdoor gondola station in May 2013, 2nd stage gondola and chairlift seen on right -
Gulmarg Gondola station in April 2013 -
Ski Resort Terrain Map showing Gulmarg Gondola, lift, and terrain -
Boarding passes
_station_in_Jammu_and_Kashmir.jpg)
References
[edit]- ^ "A Family Ski Adventure in the Himalayas".
- ^ "Gulmarg Gondola claims 7 lives in tragic accident | K-Line Adventures". K-Line Adventures. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Description by Remontées Mécaniques (French)
- Article in BBC News of 26 February 2009