The new aerial tramway was inaugurated on Friday in Tignes. The bottom station is located at an altitude of 3,032 metres on the Grande Motte Glacier, and the aerial tramway transports passengers to the Vanoise National Park at an elevation of 3,456 metres. The gondola has a closed bottom and two open-top cabins and can transport 1,000 people per hour in each direction, with a travel time of five minutes.
According to a press release, the new aerial tramway is the world’s largest and highest open-top tramway and is equipped with state-of-the-art safety technologies. Financed by the Société des téléphériques de Grande Motte (STGM), which operates the Tignes ski area, it will first open to skiers this winter before opening to the general public in May 2019.
The new tramway was developed by Garaventa AG, which is headquartered in Goldau in the canton of Schwyz. A leader in the manufacture of ropeway systems, the company is present in more than 35 countries. Just last week Garaventa won the Central Switzerland Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHZ) Innovation Award for its cylindrical lift in Stoos.
