Bursa Uludağ Gondola

Bursa Uludağ Gondola
Bursa Teleferik

Bursa Uludağ Aerial Tramway (November 2012). Replaced in 2013 by gondola lift.
Location within Turkey
Overview
Status Finished
Character Ski resort, recreational
Location Yıldırım, Bursa Province, Turkey
Country Turkey
Coordinates 40°10′18″N 29°04′59″E / 40.17167°N 29.08306°E / 40.17167; 29.08306
Termini Teferrüç, Yıldırım, Bursa (northwest)
Oteller, Uludağ (southeast)
Elevation lowest:  395 m (1,296 ft)
highest: 1,870 m (6,140 ft)
No. of stations 4
Services Uludağ
Built by Bursa Teleferik Co.
Open 29 October 1963 (1963-10-29)
Last extension End November 2013
Closed 29 October 2013 (2013-10-29)
Reopened End November 2013
Operation
Owner Bursa Metropolitan Municipality
Operator Leitner Turkey Inc.
No. of carriers 174
Carrier capacity 8
Trip duration 22 min.
Technical features
Aerial lift type Bi-cable gondola detachable
Manufactured by Leitner Ropeways, Italy
Line length 8.8 km (5.5 mi)
No. of support towers 45
Bursa Uludağ Gondola Line
Teferrüç, Bursa @ 395 m
 2.2 km
 Kadıyayla, Uludağ @ 1,230 m
 2.3 km
 Sarıalan Yaylası, Uludağ @ 1,630 m
 4.3 km
 Oteller, Uludağ @ 1,870 m

The Bursa Uludağ Gondola (Turkish: Bursa Teleferik Hattı), or simply Teleferik as called locally, is an aerial lift line in Bursa Province connecting the city of Bursa with the nearby ski resort area and national park at mountain Uludağ. Initially as an aerial tramway line, it went in service in 1963, and served fifty-years long until it was replaced by a modern system of gondola lift and extended into ski resort area. The installation of a new line became unavoidable due to increased demand by tourists.

History

The initial line was an aerial tramway built by the Swiss company Von Roll Holding to enable easy access to the country's biggest ski resort area on Uludağ. Construction work began in 1958 and the line opened on 29 October 1963, the 40th anniversary Republic Day.

The base station is situated at Teferrüç neighborhood of Yıldırım district in southern Bursa. The 4.5 km (2.8 mi) long line served two stations at Uludağ, Kadıyayla and Sarıalan Yaylası.[1] Two 20-seater cabins transportated hourly 120 passengers.[2] The service of aerial tramway ceased on 29 October 2013, after fifty years, to make way for a modern and higher capacity aerial lift system.[2]

New aerial lift

The new aerial lift line was designed, and all the technical equipment was delivered by the Italian company Leitner Group on a build–operate–transfer financing base for a lease period of 30 years.[3] The stations were designed by Yamaç Korfalı from Bursa, who had worked with the renowned Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid in London. The transportation of material and the support towers to the difficult accessible areas in the national park was done by an aerial crane of Heliswiss. The construction works were carried out by Bursa Teleferik Company.[4]

The new line is 8.8 km (5.5 mi) long using the existing line of 4.5 km (2.8 mi), and extanding it to the area of Oteller as the end station, where hotels are situated.[1][5] In the past, the hotels and the ski areas could be reached only by taxi or bus after arriving at the end station in Sarıalan Yaylası. There are a total of 45 support towers between the end stations. 174 eight-seater gondola-type carriers are capable of transporting 1,500 passengers hourly between Teferrüç Station at 395 m (1,296 ft) and the end station Oteller at an altitıde of 1,870 m (6,140 ft).[4] There are also VIP cabins with four seats.[3] The capacity of the new line is more than 10-times of the old one. The journey between the end stations takes 22 minutes.[1] As such, it is the world's longest gondola lift line.[4]

The opening, initially planned to take place on 29 October 2013, the 90th anniversary Republic Day, was postponed due to delay in construction works of a new bigger station building in Sarıalan Yaylası caused by a court order.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bursa’da Teleferik Son Seferini Yaptı" (in Turkish). Teleferik Haber. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  2. 1 2 "Gerekli İzinler Alınırsa Teleferik,Bursaray’ın Gökdere İstasyonu’na İnecek" (in Turkish). Teleferik Haber. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  3. 1 2 "Bursa Teleferik hattı açılış için Erdoğan’ı bekliyor" (in Turkish). Teleferik Haber. 2013-10-30. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  4. 1 2 3 "Construction of the world's longest monocable gondola lift in Bursa". Leitner Ropeways. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  5. ↑ "New Cable Car Line BetweenThe City and Uludag". Bursa Metropolitan Municipality. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
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