Ebbw Vale Cableway
| File:4480283 64881228 original.jpg The Ebbw Vale Cableway just before it opened in mid May 2015. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Ebbw Vale |
| Transit type | Funicular railway |
| Number of stations | 2 |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | June 2015 |
| Operator(s) | Doppelmayr Garaventa Group |
| Technical | |
| System length | 187 feet (57 m) |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
The Ebbw Vale Cableway (Welsh: Ffordd Cebl Glynebwy) was opened in June 2015 as a new inclined elevator. The lift was built by ABS Transportbahnen (Doppelmayr Garaventa Group). Its length is 57 metres (187 ft) and has a vertical lift of 24 metres (79 ft). It has one car and operates from Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm fully automatically, without attendants. The short, 20 second, journey is free to travel and it is intended to improve access between levels in the town, from ‘The Works’ site and Coleg Gwent, up to the town centre. The Works site is the site of the old steelworks and the current focus of much redevelopment for the area.
Vandalism a week after opening caused it to close temporarily.[1]
It has one car and operates from Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm fully automatically, without attendants. The short, 20 second, journey is free to travel and it is intended to improve access between levels in the town, from ‘The Works’ site and Coleg Gwent, up to the town centre. The Works site is the site of the old steelworks and the current focus of much redevelopment for the area.
Reception of the funicular has been mixed. Commentators and journalists have described it variously as a funicular, mechanical lift, 'cable car' [sic] and, more derisively, as a 'Stannah stairlift'. Most criticism has focused on the £2.3 million cost, at a time when Blaenau Gwent council are facing a £10M deficit and other services in the area are facing substantial cuts.[2] The project was funded through the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) with most of the money being European-sourced and the local council providing around a third. Operating costs have been cited as £16,000 per year, and these too have been questioned – especially regarding any teething troubles in the first year, or the costs of the inevitable vandalism repair. The need for the lift has also been questioned on health grounds, although there is good justification for this on disability access grounds and also encouraging movement between levels as part of encouraging development.[3]
See also
- Funicular railway
- List of funicular railways
References
- ↑ "Vandals force Ebbw Vale cable car to close just a week after opening". South Wales Argus. 19 June 2015.
- ↑ "Anger at £2.5m for Ebbw Vale rail link plan". South Wales Argus. 16 September 2013.
- ↑ "Images released of Ebbw Vale cliff rail plan". South Wales Argus. 20 November 2013.
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