Presentations give at the 2024 OITAF Congress

Operation and maintenance of a multibrand cable car
(Diego Scofano)
Diego Scofano, Technical Director of the SugarloafCable Car in Rio de Janeiro, which was originally built by Pohlig-Haeckel (Germany) in 1912 and refurbished by Agudio (Italy) in 1972, reported on a problem that is not infrequently encountered in the maintenance of old installations: operating and maintaining a system where more and more components or assemblies have been replaced over time by those from different manufacturers. Interface problems in the operation and maintenance of such an installation are perhaps only to be expected. The speaker described in detail the various measures taken by the SugarloafCable Car company to ensure compatibility between all the manufacturers’ maintenance plans.

The Poma LIFE R’way concept
(Michael Fauché)
Poma’s decision in 2009 to introduce an environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001 marked the start of a process that gradually covered all areas of the company’s operations and finally led via a few intermediate steps to the creation of the LIFE R’way (Low Impact For Environment) concept, including the decision to join the UN Nation Global Compact. Unsatisfactory results from in-house investigations into the company’s carbon footprint and overall efficiency led to the introduction of specific measures in the fields of personnel training (with digital support) and digitalization (development of the Skadii resort management platform) and innovative technologies (e.g. AI camera, new sheave train design).

Great place to work – talent journey
(Benny Pregenzer)
Shortages of personnel are one of today’s most critical issues. The speaker described in detail the various measures taken by the Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce to support ropeway operators in Austria in creating modern, competitive, innovative and highly attractive employment opportunities in their facilities. Such jobs inspire employees to become valuable ambassadors for their companies.

Ropeways – leaders in safe accessible transportation
(John W. Kamb PE)
In the USA, significant improvements have been made in the world of ropeways and related standards for people with reduced mobility. However, further measures can be implemented to make ropeways the leading barrier-free mode of transportation. John W. Kamb’s presentation included specific strategies for passenger ropeway systems. Passenger ropeways should strive for a universal design that takes into account the differing abilities and limitations of passengers while creating an accessible and satisfying environment for all.

Keys to keeping the first urban cable car in operation after 20 years
(Jorge Alberto Ramos López)
In 2004, the Metro de Medellin company commissioned the world’s first urban cable car: Metrocable Line K. Since then, 20 years have passed, during which a number of strategies have been implemented that have helped to successfully maintain the ropeway and overcome initial difficulties. The most important measure was the development of a maintenance management system. Once a maintenance plan had been established, further adjustments were made, including condition-based maintenance, which involves monitoring the condition or status of the various elements of an installation so as to predict the optimal time to perform the relevant maintenance. In the case of an installation that has been in operation for 20 years, maintenance alone is not sufficient; due account must also be taken of technical developments that have occurred in the meantime.

E-mobility at the +1 level in public transport
(Dominik Berndt)
This presentation also addressed the advantages of ropeways as part of an urban transportation system. In the speaker’s opinion, current trends in the urban environment indicate great scope for the use of ropeways for public transport in big cities in the coming decades. The +1 level (airspace above street level) can be seen as a potential space for e-mobility by cable car. Broad-based communication and knowledge sharing are required to ensure the continued success of this system. With the help of tools such as life cycle assessment, comparability can be established with other modes of transport and greater acceptance of ropeways promoted.

Proposal for a tool to help verify the safety level of existing monocable aerial ropeways (Gaëtan Rioult)
One of the key factors for public acceptance of the ropeway as a means of transportation is safety. In this context, ropeway accidents clearly damage the reputation and further development of this transportation system.
Countries with a long tradition in ropeway engineering generally have precise technical and safety regulations to ensure the safety of passengers and operating personnel. But there are also installations that do not meet this high level of safety because they were built on the basis of other standards. There are also installations where material fatigue and wear have not been properly taken into account. OITAF has therefore decided to draw up a recommendation specifically for monocable circulating ropeways for passenger transportation, which offers their owners or operators a methodology for conducting safety assessments of their installations. This makes it possible to determine whether the ropeway meets minimum safety standards or whether (technical or organizational) measures are needed to improve safety to a level required to ensure continued safe operation. Work on the recommendation is not yet complete, but the document will be made available to the industry in the coming months. At the OITAF Congress, a brief presentation of the proposed method was given. It is a diagnostic procedure in four stages:

• History of the installation
• Evaluation of the state of the installation’s safety components
• Assessment of the functionality of safety components and subassemblies
• Action plan based on the diagnosis

Autonomous mobility with ropeways – the next generation of modern transportation
(Michael Mathis and Martin Oberhammer)
The Autonomous Ropeway Operation system (AURO) developed by the Doppelmayr Group makes it possible to operate unmanned ropeways. The system uses advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, cameras and sensors, to replace station attendants. The stations are monitored and controlled from a Ropeway Operation Center (ROC). As previously reported in ISR, the first AURO system was installed in 2021 on the Valisera 10-passenger gondola lift at the Silvretta Montafon ski resort. The results of operation in the first winter seasons are proof of the system’s efficiency, with approx. 97% correctly triggered stops and a 100% availability rate of the AURO system.

In the case of detachable chairlifts, the requirements to be met by the AURO system are even more complex than for gondola lifts. A key element is the video management system, which enables ROC personnel to monitor the unmanned stations. The system supports fast reactions to automatic shutdowns, with an AI-based computer vision (CV) system by the name of Mantis playing a central role. Following two intensive years of system testing on pilot installations in Wildhaus near St. Gallen (CH) and the Alptobel chairlift in the Silvretta Montafon ski resort (A), operating permits were issued in Switzerland and Austria at the start of the 2023/24 winter season.

Weather challenges in ropeway operations and maintenance
(Tom Scully)
The Pacific Northwest has climatic conditions – extreme temperature fluctuations, strong winds, icing, freezing rain and high levels of precipitation in a very short space of time – which pose an extraordinary challenge for the operation and maintenance of ropeways. The speaker described the extent of the problems that occur with detachable installations in particular. In recent decades, however, ropeway operators have learned to deal with these environmental conditions. The presentation described various experiences and innovative solutions for the operation and maintenance of ropeways in such regions.

Fire risk under ropeways – a new approach to fly over difficulties
(Thibault Chatelus)
In recent years, there has been an increase in urban development projects and new aerial ropeway links between valley locations and ski resorts in France, with the ropeway installations often spanning areas with complex usage patterns including roads, railroad tracks, buildings and various types of vegetation. Each of these installations presents specific problems in terms of fire risk. The speaker showed how French experts have dealt with this issue in order to ensure a uniform, acceptable level of safety without obstructing innovative projects. Precise criteria and measures were defined that must be considered and implemented depending on the ropeway system involved and the potential fire sources spanned.

The ConnX intermodal transport system
(Günter Tschinkel)
The term intermodal transport refers to a system with more than one means of transportation combined to complete the journey. ConnX is a passenger and material transport system developed by Leitner that combines a ropeway system with self-propelled ground-level vehicles. The system includes a transfer station where the ropeway cabin is handed over to a self-propelled vehicle, which continues the journey on its own track – and vice versa. ConnX offers a solution for the “last mile” problem of ropeways – in this context, linking a ropeway station to the station of another mode of transport – and simplifies ropeway integration into an existing transport network.

Safe planning, installation and operation of urban ropeways
(Georg Schober)
The speaker dealt extensively with the work and services of the TÜV SÜD certification and inspection body for the ropeway industry. The presentation included a focus on the specific features of urban ropeways and was divided into the following sections:

• How to design a safe ropeway?
• What is important for installation & commissioning?
• Safe operation of urban ropeways?
• Why are 3rd party checks important?

The speaker also covered comparatively new areas such as cyber security. At the end of his presentation, he called on ropeway operators to identify risks or damage, or have them identified, before they cost lives or money, and he finished with the appeal: “Keep ropeways safe!”

You can read even more coverage of the OITAF Ropeway Congress in Vancouver in issues ISR 3/2024, ISR 4/2024, ISR 5/2024 and in the upcoming issue ISR 6/2024 (publication date December 6th, 2024).