Cable car planned to link Katajanokka and Laajasalo districts
A proposal has been made to Helsinki's City Council to investigate the possibility of building a cable-car system from the district of Katajanokka (close to the South Harbour) to the eastern suburb of Laajasalo, over the stretch of water known as Kruunuvuorenselkä.
"A gondola can transport as many as 2,000 persons in an hour. It runs at the speed of five metres per second", enthuses Managing Director Reijo Riila, while showing his presentation video at his office in Katajanokka.
According to Riila, such a system would need three roughly 40-metre pylons in the sea to support an overhead wire. For example, 50 eight-passenger gondolas could run on a wire cable at 100-metre intervals. The passengers could be transported the 1.8 kilometres from Katajanokka to Laajasalo in six minutes.
The costs of the venture would be around EUR 10 to 15 million at the minimum, which is only about one-tenth of the estimated costs of the planned combination of a bridge and a tram tunnel. Using larger 20-passenger gondolas would bring slightly more expensive construction costs.
In both cases, the operating expenses would be just a fraction of those of a tram line.
While speaking of the benefits of the cable-car system, Riila admits that stong winds present a problem. "Shelters from the wind could be built at both ends of the system", Riila argues. A probable high-wind restriction of 16-20 metres a second would mean the connection would be shut down for a few days each year.
Riila represents an Austrian lift company Doppelmayr, and has been involved in various lift projects in Finland since 1978.
A request for a detailed report has been sent to Doppelmayr. However, the lobbying is only in its initial stage, and the project has not been presented to the city officials as yet.
On the other hand, the father of the idea, retired engineer Ralf Nikander, has convinced at least councillor Antti Vuorela (SDP) of the feasibility of the project. On Wednesday Vuorela made a proposal endorsing the idea to the City Council.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 2.11.2006 - TODAY |
 Cable car planned to link Katajanokka and Laajasalo districts |
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