A project to build a cable car transportation system in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is to begin next month, Kyrgyz press agency AKI reports.
The scheme is to be built by two French companies, cable car specialist Poma and engineer Egis, and is being financed by a concessional loan from France’s Directorate General of the Treasury.
The project was announced in November 2020 as a cost-effective way of providing mass transit system for Ulaanbaatar’s “Ger” suburbs – neighbourhoods of yurts occupied by recently settled nomads. Until recent times, these were considered temporary and did not benefit from urban development programmes or public investment.
According to Poma, the aim is to provide low-cost transport to the low-income households in these areas, which contain 60% of the capital’s inhabitants and cover 90% of its administrative area.
The plan is to install a silent, all-electric, low-energy system, initially stretching 6km over the Tuul River with 3 stations and 122 cars. Each cabin will have a capacity of 10 passengers, and it is estimated the whole line will have a capacity of 2,300 passengers in each direction.
If all goes to plan, it will enter service in 2025.
Poma will be tasked with the supply and installation of the transport system, including all the vehicles, towers, and equipment of the three stations.
Egis will be responsible for the turnkey design and construction of the stations. The low and high voltage power also fall within its scope.
Finally, it will be tasked with design coordination and will handle site supervision during construction.
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