Latest news with #cableCar
BBC News
30-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Mourne Gondola: Muir's department blocks plans for cable car at Rostrevor
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council's plan to move the Mourne Gondola project from Newcastle to Rostrevor will not be supported by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).Minister Andrew Muir said he has "serious concerns about the potential impact the project would have on environmentally sensitive areas".The council's proposal to move the project from Newcastle to Rostrevor was confirmed in May after the National Trust said it would not be leasing land on Slieve Donard for the cable car ride aims to attract 350,000 visitors each year. In a statement on Wednesday, Muir said he "greatly values Rostrevor forest and its role within the wider landscape context". It added that given the minister's concerns, "the Department is not in a position to support the council's proposal for the project to be constructed at Rostrevor forest". "Minister Muir greatly values highly the work undertaken to date by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council in partnership with Forest Service and he wishes to see such collaboration continue," the statement said. The council said in May that the new cable car route was yet to be determined but confirmed it would not pass through the ancient oak woodland in a council press release did not state a proposed route for the ride at Rostrevor, a number of sources told BBC NI that they believed the preferred terminus to be in the vicinity of a landmark called Cloughmore (the Big Stone).The cable car or gondola plan is officially known as the Mourne Mountains Gateway project. What is the cost of the gondola project? The BBC revealed last month that spending on the gondola project has reached £1.35m before construction has original plan for the £44m project would have involved the development of a 1km cable car structure and a mountainside visitors' centre on Slieve previous route would have carried passengers 230m up from Donard Park in Newcastle to a disused of the project say it would drive tourism and the local economy with the potential of attracting up to 350,000 visitors a have raised environmental concerns as well questioning whether local access roads could accommodate that many visitors or whether the project would indeed attract that many people in the first relation to the use of Slieve Donard land, the National Trust said the project should not go ahead in light of the "fragile and threatened" state of the Mourne amended costings or route have since been provided by the council in relation to the Rostrevor News NI has contacted Newry, Mourne and Down District Council for comment.
Free Malaysia Today
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Free Malaysia Today
Chow leads delegation to Switzerland, Austria for Penang Hill cable car project
An artist's impression of the Penang Hill cable car project. PETALING JAYA : Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow is leading a state delegation to Switzerland and Austria to support the development of the Penang Hill cable car project. In a statement, his office said the seven-day visit, which starts today, is hosted by Austrian ropeway specialist Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH and local rail firm Hartasuma Sdn Bhd. Chow's office said the visit is key to ensuring the project meets international standards for sustainable mobility and safety. The delegation will visit several key suppliers involved in the project, including Doppelmayr in Wolfurt, Austria; Fatzer AG, a cable ropeway supplier in Romanshorn, Switzerland; Garaventa AG, a funicular system expert in Goldau, Switzerland; and CWA Constructions SA, a gondola cabin manufacturer in Olten, Switzerland. The delegation will also meet with the mayor of Bettmeralp and representatives from local cable car operator Aletsch Bahnen AG. Bettmeralp is a well-known car-free village accessible only by cable car and serves as a model for sustainable mountain tourism. The statement added that insights gained from the visit will help guide the long-term development of Penang Hill as a sustainable and accessible destination. 'This visit is vital for understanding the engineering, operations and safety measures behind world-class cable car systems,' the statement said. 'The state government is committed to delivering the Penang Hill cable car project with the highest standards of safety, quality and reliability. This mission reflects that commitment,' it said. The RM245 million Penang Hill cable car project was awarded to Hartasuma under a 30-year public-private partnership using a design-finance-build-operate-transfer model. Doppelmayr has been tapped to supply the cable car technology. The cable car line will span 2.73km from the Penang Botanic Gardens to the top of Bukit Bendera. The project includes three main stations, namely the Garden Station at the base, a mid-route Turn Station and the Hill Station at the summit, as well as a multi-storey car park, commercial plaza opposite the Botanic Gardens department and a dedicated bus parking space.
