Latest news with #cablecar
South China Morning Post
18 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's Ngong Ping 360 cable car ride raises prices for first time in 2 years
Rides on the Ngong Ping 360 cable car attraction on Lantau Island in Hong Kong will cost as much as 11 per cent more, as the operator has raised prices for the first time in two years. The company announced on Monday that the price of round-trip rides for children in a standard cabin would rise the most in terms of proportion, going from HK$135 to HK$150, an increase of 11.11 per cent. Adult tickets for round-trip rides will increase from HK$270 (US$33) to HK$295, a 9.26 per cent rise. Fares for taking one of the Crystal cabins, which have transparent floor-to-ceiling glass, will also go up. An adult ticket will cost HK$365, up from HK$350, while children will have to pay HK$220, up from HK$215 – increases of 4.29 per cent and 2.33 per cent, respectively. 'Due to rising operational and maintenance costs, coupled with our ongoing commitment to enhancing guest experiences, a price adjustment will be implemented,' a company spokeswoman said. The operator last raised fares in November 2023. The new prices will take effect on June 10, but residents can purchase tickets at the original rate until August 31 by presenting an identity card or birth certificate.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Rostrevor: Cable car plan may move to Kilbroney Forest Park
A new location for a proposed cable car route in County Down is being considered after a plan to build it on Northern Ireland's highest mountain was blocked. Newry, Mourne and Down Council had hoped to install a cable car at Slieve Donard until the National Trust refused to lease land it manages for the project. On Wednesday, the council confirmed it was now "exploring" the possibility of moving it to Kilbroney Forest Park in Rostrevor instead. The cable car concept, also referred to as a gondola, has divided opinion for several years, with environmentalists objecting and some businesses arguing it would attract visitors to the area. The council said the new cable car route was yet to be determined but confirmed it would not pass through the ancient oak woodland in Kilbroney. "Environmental sensitivity will continue to be a core principle of the proposal," the council added. It said the updated proposal had secured the support of Warrenpoint, Burren and Rostrevor Chamber of Commerce who described it as "a game-changer". The chamber said it would "create a compelling tourism offering in the district, while also encouraging visitors to continue their journeys into the heart of the Mournes and beyond". The cable car or gondola plan is officially known as the Mourne Mountains Gateway would receive central government funding through the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD). Politicians had expressed concerns that the blocking of the plan at Slieve Donard would put millions of pounds of BRCD money at risk. A new addition to the Finn McCool legend? Rumours that the focus of the Mourne gondola project could be moving from Newcastle to Rostrevor began circulating in south Down in the last couple of is understood a number of meetings have taken place with political and business leaders discussing the possibility of moving the scheme effectively from one side of the Mournes to the this end BBC NI asked the council to comment on the rumours earlier this Wednesday, they confirmed that the matter is indeed being the council press release does not state a proposed route for the ride, a number of sources have told BBC NI that they believe the preferred terminus to be in the vicinity of a landmark called Cloughmore (the Big Stone). The huge granite boulder was deposited on the slopes of Slieve Martin during the last ice age and forms part of the legend of Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool). There is already a mountain drive through Kilbroney to a large carpark just a couple of hundred yards below Cloughmore. A series of popular downhill mountain bike trails already operate in the for its part, is already gearing up for the opening of the nearby Narrow Water Bridge just a few miles away. There is a fresh focus on tourism on this side of the Mournes – whether this means the gondola will be welcomed or rejected is a question locals will now be considering. Why did the National Trust decide against the cable car at Slieve Donard? The National Trust is responsible for the land in the Eastern Mournes Special Area of Conservation including Slieve Donard and Thomas Quarry - the site previously earmarked for the proposed gondola station and a visitor proposed £44m project would have involved the development of a 1km cable car structure from Donard Park up to the disused in April there were almost 150 wildfires in the Mournes, which had a devastating effect on habitats in the mountain a statement on 1 May, the trust confirmed the proposed project would "risk placing additional pressures on already degraded upland habitats".It would therefore "not be considering a lease at Thomas Quarry".At the time, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said the trust's decision was "particularly frustrating".
New York Times
7 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
This Medieval Greek Fortress Is a Tourist Idyll. Would a Cable Car Spoil It?
Carved into a massive rock, the medieval fortress town of Monemvasia rises from the Myrtoan Sea in southern Greece, its Byzantine churches and crumbling palaces a draw for the thousands of visitors who walk its cobbled pathways every year. But there is trouble in this tranquil retreat. A plan to build a cable car to the peak above the town, where a beautifully preserved 12th-century church sits in relative isolation amid stunning views of the coast, has divided the community. The top of Monemvasia is currently accessible only via a winding, 240-yard stone path — a dizzying and exhausting climb. The authorities say the cable car, to be financed with almost $7 million from the European Union, will make the site reachable for visitors with limited mobility. But the plan has been met with consternation, and legal challenges, from cultural groups and residents who say it will undermine the rock's protected status. 'This enormous thing would transform the landscape,' said Niki Vaitsou, an architect who is president of the Association of Friends of Monemvasia, an organization devoted to preserving the history and identity of the town. The association was one of two groups that filed an appeal against the project with Greece's top administrative court, a case scheduled to be heard this week. Many of the group's 70 or so members are property owners in the lower town, known locally as 'the castle.' In March, Europa Nostra, a federation for the protection of cultural heritage, included Monemvasia, which was founded in the sixth century, in a list of Europe's seven most endangered heritage sites. Opposition to the project was clear on a recent visit to Monemvasia — both in the old town, which was once home to thousands but now has a winter population of fewer than 20; and in the newer town of Gefira, across a causeway, on the mainland. Gefira, with a population of about 1,200, depends heavily on tourism linked to the castle. 'It will completely ruin the site,' said Effie Anagnopoulou, 43, a tour guide who lives in a village near Gefira. She said she was worried that Monemvasia's unique qualities would be sacrificed to satisfy growing numbers of tourists. Monemvasia's deputy mayor, Stavros Christakos, said it was difficult to know how many visitors came every year (a local hotel group hazards a guess of 160,000 to 200,000) because most arrive by road or on small boats from cruise ships. But many locals grumble that numbers have soared in recent years. 'We could become a small Mykonos,' said Ms. Anagnopoulou, referring to the island that is among the most heavily visited in Greece. Mr. Christakos dismissed those concerns, saying that the aim of the cable car was not to increase tourism. 'We don't want to attract more people, we want it accessible for everyone,' he said. But, he acknowledged, the cable car would be able to carry up to 160 people an hour, far more than the estimated 100 or so who visit the upper part of the town daily in the summer. Kostas Paschalidis, president of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, said he felt the project's chief aim was to serve mass tourism not to make it easier for those with limited mobility to get to the peak. He noted that much of the lower town lacked wheelchair access. 'They should solve that problem first,' he said. The cable car as envisaged by the authorities, he added, was 'a Pharaonic thing more suited to an amusement park.' Many locals said that more pressing problems remained unaddressed in the town, including the poor quality of the water and an inadequate sewage system. Christos Giannou, 76, a retired Greek Canadian surgeon who lives in the castle and runs two guesthouses with his Swiss wife, Isabelle Sonnard, said he objected to the cable car for aesthetic reasons but also because he wanted tourism to remain at 'humane levels.' Water, which has to be piped over from the mainland, is currently the biggest problem, according to Mr. Giannou, both in terms of quality and scarcity. 'It's no use having a cable car if you have to tell tourists they can't take a shower,' he said. Mr. Christakos said a plan for a desalination plant had been approved this month by the local authorities, but it was unclear when construction would start. Other residents and traders in Monemvasia say they support the cable car. Takis Papadakis, 60, runs a guesthouse in a converted monastery and a store in the castle. He also hosts wine-tasting evenings where 70 percent of attendees are over 65, he said. 'Many are sad that they can't do the climb to the upper town,' Mr. Papadakis said. 'We have to move with the times.' Chrysafo Karkani, 75, a retired architect and artist who used to run a shop in the castle, said she would welcome the cable car because she hadn't been able to make the climb to the peak since a fall five years ago left her walking with crutches. 'I miss the view,' she said.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
'We want to get Queenstown moving again' - cable car companies target resort town
Whoosh as visualised on a central street in Queenstown. Photo: Supplied A cable car race is underway in Queenstown, as two different companies unveil their schemes to connect the resort town by high-wire. Whoosh and Southern Infrastructure Ltd have revealed blueprints of their proposed transport networks this week. Kiwi-owned Whoosh has been developing self-driving cabins to go on an elevated cable network , which riders would be able to book on an app. Whoosh_chief_executive_Chris_Allington. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Today at the Electrify Queenstown conference, Whoosh chief executive Chris Allington from the engineering firm Holmes Solutions revealed a map of where the six-part network could go. The network could link Frankton to Shotover Country to the Remarkables Ski Hill, but he said Whoosh was keen to adapt its plans to feedback from Queenstown locals. He said the first two kilometres or so - a pilot project around Remarkables Park - could be operational as soon as next year. "This isn't fiction, this isn't fake, this isn't an animation, this is actually coming. And it's coming fast," he told the crowd. Whoosh's vision for Queenstown. Photo: Supplied Work would begin this year, and it was just a matter of "dotting i's and crossing t's" and obtaining resource consent for the buildings, he said. Allington did not put a date on the wider network, besides saying Whoosh's modular design made it very quick to build. "It's not like we need to finish it all before any of it can open... it will just keep getting extended and keep rolling across in the direction, in the places, that Queenstown wants it to go," he said. So far, the network had a ballpark cost estimate of $250 million, he said. Whoosh was funded by shareholders and private equity from offshore, and Allington said he believed the price tag was achievable. "The funny thing is, it's actually easier to fund the big project than a small one, particularly stuff like this. It's clean, it's green, it's sustainable. There's lots of funding sources available for that," he said. But hot on Whoosh's heels was another initiative from Southern Infrastructure Ltd. Southern Infrastructure chief executive Ross Copland. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Chief executive Ross Copland described the company as less of an innovator, and more of a problem solver for the town's traffic woes. "We're not a supplier, so we don't have a particular technology. We're an infrastructure developer that's looking to solve a transport problem in Queenstown. We've looked really closely at all the options - our preference at this stage is a ropeway," he said. Southern Infrastructure planned to build an electric, high-speed urban gondola network around Queenstown, at a cost of about $200 million. It revealed a map of its planned network straddling seven stations, from Arthur's Point, to Queenstown central, to Ladies Mile, with stopoffs at Queenstown Airport and the Frankton bus hub. Queenstown Cable Car's indicative map. Photo: Supplied Copland said it was the sum of years of careful analysis of height limits, existing infrastructure, geotechnical stability and significant ecological areas. "It's almost a direct route into Queenstown, but importantly it bypasses a lot of those residential areas where the visual effects would be quite significant," he said. "We think it's a project that's consentable and also quite efficient." The project had backing from rich-lister Rod Drury, and support from one of the world's biggest ski lift companies, Doppelmayr. Copland admitted the company's goal of launching by the end of 2028 was "aggressive", but said the need was urgent. "There's a couple of different ways the project can be funded. We'd love to see it brought in as part of the public transport funding models so that people in the region, whether their visitors or locals, can have quite a seamless experience moving between bus, ferry and the cable. But that relies on a whole lot of decisions that are outside of our control, so local government central government will have a really key role in deciding," he said. "If that if that doesn't happen, then the funding model will be through, effectively, ticket prices, that will be paid by residents and visitors. The modelling we've done shows really strong growth and really strong uptake by passengers. So we think that under either of those scenarios, it's still a commercially viable project." Doppelmayr NZ chief executive Gareth Hayman. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Doppelmayr New Zealand chief executive Gareth Hayman hoped locals would see cable transit as a tried and tested option. "A gondola is not that scary at all. It's been, in use for the last 25 years within public transport networks. It's proven, it's tested, we understand what we need to do and we're here to make it happen," he said. Asked if Whoosh and Southern Infrastructure Ltd were competitors or allies, Allington said each was trying different methods to ease traffic congestion in Queenstown. "I think we're all trying to achieve the same thing. We want to get Queenstown moving again. We want to do that in a sustainable way," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Cable car companies unveil plans to connect Queenstown
A cable car race is underway in Queenstown, as two different companies unveil their schemes to connect the town by high-wire. Whoosh and Southern Infrastructure Ltd have revealed blueprints of their proposed urban transport networks, at the Electrify conference in Queenstown this week. But are these sky high fantasies, or firmly on track? Otago Southland reporter Katie Todd has the story. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
