Doppelmayr Opens The World’s Longest Ropeway

On February 4, 2018, Doppelmayr opened the world’s longest ropeway. With a length of 7,899.9 meters, the Hòn Thơm 3S beats the record previously held by another 3S lift in Vietnam, the Fansipan Legend, by almost one and one-half kilometers. The route of the new tricable gondola lift crosses the sea and connects the vacation islands Phú Quốc and Hòn Thơm in the south of Vietnam.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Hòn Thơm 3S took place in September 2015. The last two and one-half years saw the creation in southern Vietnam of a spectacular ropeway that outstrips the previous record for the world’s longest ropeway by one and one-half kilometers. The 7,899.9-meter-long ropeway is a comfortable means of transport and an attraction at the same time. It covers a route from Phú Quốc across the sea to Hòn Thơm. Towers of up to 164 meters in height have also been built on another two islands that lie between the two vacation islands. This gives passengers a breathtaking view. A speed of 8.5 meters per second enables a trip time of just 15 minutes.

The comfortable CWA cabins offer ample space for 30 passengers. The lighting and PA systems inside the cabins are powered by an innovative carriage wheel generator. The recovery concept developed by Doppelmayr has also been incorporated in the design of the new ropeway. This guarantees the safety of the passengers in the event that a cabin becomes stranded on the line.

Even for the ropeway fitters from Doppelmayr/Garaventa, installations boasting such spectacular attributes as the Hòn Thơm 3S are exceptional. The work performed at lofty heights, combined with the unpredictable weather conditions during the monsoon season in particular, proved to be a special challenge which they mastered with professionalism and dependability.

With the new ropeway installation, Sun Group Corporation is once again contributing to the development of tourism in Vietnam. The islands in the south of the country are already a popular visitor destination. The 3S lift is a major part of the infrastructure. In the near future, the region is set to become an attractive vacation hotspot offering a wide range of leisure activities and modern accommodation.

Sun Group Corporation has already built numerous ropeway installations in collaboration with the Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group – many of which have achieved entries in the Guinness World Records. These include the longest detachable gondola lift in one section (Bana Big Ropeway) and the reversible aerial tramway, Ha Long Queen Cable Car, which has the biggest ropeway cabin (capacity 230 passengers) as well as the tallest ropeway tower (188.88 meters). Up to now, Fansipan Legend was the world’s longest ropeway, a record that now passes to the Hòn Thơm installation.

The 3S gondola lift in brief

The proven detachable tricable (3S) gondola lift from the Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group combines the benefits of gondola lift and reversible aerial tramway. The 3S system has two fixed, fully locked track ropes on which the carrier travels and a circulating haul rope which is clamped to the 8-wheel carriages. This enables the detachable continuous-movement system to offer top performance and reliability. Even in extreme conditions, up to 35 passengers per cabin enjoy a comfortable ride experience. The unmistakable strengths of the 3S lift are high wind stability, low energy consumption and the capability to cope with very long rope spans. Travel speeds of up to 8.5 m/s and a transport capacity of up to 5,500 passengers per hour and direction are remarkable performance features of this modern ropeway system.

Fact box: 30-TGD Hòn Thơm