Doppelmayr
Doppelmayr/Garaventa is widely recognized as a leading innovator in the field of ropeway transportation, particularly within the context of urban gondola systems. With decades of experience and a track record of delivering both technical advancements and large-scale infrastructure, the company is frequently viewed as a frontrunner in the potential development of a next-generation urban supergondola system.
In 2021, Doppelmayr introduced its "Future Concept Urban" during its corporate update series, Insights: Inspired by Motion. Go ahead… nerd out on the full presentation - it’s like an Apple product release for gondola geeks. At the end you’ll find the “Future Concept Urban” section, which outlined the company's long-term vision for urban mobility and included a brief segment on this conceptual project. While specific technical details were limited, the concept hinted at a flexible, high-capacity ropeway network designed to address the growing transportation demands of modern cities.
Thomas Pichler (CEO Doppelmayr Group) sets it up by saying:
“Mobility is set to remain a mega-trend in the future and ropeways will definitely play a key role when it comes to implementing sustainable and eco-friendly mobility solutions within a short space of time, whether it’s on the mountainside or in cities. We are convinced, in cities especially, it will be a mix of different technologies networking together and complimenting one another.”
Preach it Thomas… we couldn’t agree more. Watch the segment below when the vision of “Future Concept Urban” is unveiled:
Since the initial unveiling of Doppelmayr’s Future Concept Urban in 2021, there have been limited public updates on the project's development. At one stage, a related initiative under the name "upBUS" explored the idea of transferring a full-size Doppelmayr gondola cabin onto a ground-based "skate" system. As of now, the skates are not autonomous, and the transfer process remains slow and requires close supervision.
Is it a supergondola?
The concept checks several of the key boxes commonly associated with urban supergondola systems. It involves detachable cabins transitioning between cable propulsion and some form of self-driving rigid guideway. If future iterations included an autonomous skate system, it could offer significant flexibility. However, integrating larger cabins into dense urban environments poses challenges, including increased safety requirements, potentially necessitating additional features such as crash protection systems.
If the skate-transfer feature proves impractical in the near term, a scaled-down version of the system may be more viable for urban deployment. It’s plausible that Doppelmayr is exploring smaller-scale options to better suit city environments, although no such details have been confirmed.
You have to think that’s what Doppelmayr are going to do ultimately. And if anyone could pull it off, the massive team at Doppelmayr could be the ones to do it.
When will it happen?
No idea. Next year? Maybe never? There’s currently not many updates to indicate it’s actually being worked on… but again, Doppelmayr do have the engineering and market savvy to pull it off. So we’re betting heavily on Doppelmayr winning the race.