Ropeways in Nepal, which mainly refer to the aerial ropeways, are used for human and cargo transport. In the 'Nepal Country Report' of 1976 by the World Bank concluded that construction and maintenance of roads in mountainous are costly due to hilly terrain, and thus other means of transport should be studied mainly indicating to the ropeways. However, ropeways have not gained significant popularity over roadways. In the Ninth Five-year Plan ropeway was encouraged with and involvement of the private sector. But no provision in the national budget was made for ropeway development. Nonetheless, private sector has initiated the construction and operation of ropeways mainly in lucrative places such as religious temple.
History The first ropeway to carry cargo was Halchowk-Lainchour ropeway which was used to transport stones from the quarry to build palaces. The famous, Dhorsing-chisapnai-Chandragiri ropeway passing into Kathmandu was built by Chandra Shamser Rana in 1922. It was upgraded in 1964 to reach to Hetauda with a total length of 42 km with technical and financial assistance from USAID.
Types of ropeways in Nepal Following are the types of ropeways based on the operation mechanism and types of transport.
Tar pul or Ghirling Also known as twin, these are rudimentary ropeways used in lieu of bridges to cross rivers. These are generally installed by the local community based on necessity. As of May 2004, there are 25 Tar Pul in Kavre, Gorkha, Myagdi, Udaypur, Chitwan and Lamjung
Gravity Ropeways A gravity ropeway operates by using potential energy with mechanical power. A weight lowered from a higher elevation lifts the cargo. Ropeways of this type were first used in Mustang to transport apples. Since then they have been installed in four other locations: Gorkha, Tanahun, Kalikot and Achham. Most of the construction ropeways fall in this category.
Cargo Ropeways Cargo ropeways are used in Nepal to transport goods from one place to another. The first ropeway, Halchowk-Lainchour, was in fact a cargo ropeway. The most famous cargo ropeway was the Kathmandu-Hetauda Ropeway, which is now out of operation.
Passenger ropeways Mostly electrically operated, these kinds of ropeways or Cable Cars are used by passengers. The first of this kind was Manakamana Cable Car, established in 1998.
List of ropeways in Nepal
This list does not include the smaller ghirlings, which are more numerous.
Name Location (From - To) Type (Cargo or Passenger) Length (m) Capacity Description Operation date (Start-End) Current Status Construction cost PhotoAdhi khola ropeway Syangja Cargo 1200 300 kg Used to transport construction material for Adhikhola Hydropower Project 1985 Non-functional NPR 2.3 Million No photoJimhruk khola ropeway Syangja, Madi-to construction sites Cargo 1200800 kg Used to transport construction material for Jhimruk Khola Hydropower Project 1990 Non-functional NPR 3.5 Million No photoKhimti Ropeway Kirene- construction sites Cargo 2100 Used to transport construction material for Khimti I Hydropower Project Non-functional NPR 35 Million No photoHetauda Cement Factory Ropeway Hetauda Quarry site-factory Cargo 11,000 150 tonne/hr Used to transport stones Non-functional No photoBhattedanda Milkway Lalitpur, Bhattedada-Jhakridada Cargo 3022 450 kg Used to transport milk and khuwa (खुवा) 1995–2001, 2002- Unknown No photoBharpak Ropeway Gorkha Cargo Used to transport general merchandise. Stopped working after the accident. 1998-1999 Non-functional Manakamana Cable Car Chitwan Passenger 2772 600 person/hour Transport to the Manakamana Temple from Prithvi Highway 1998 In operation Chandragiri Cable Car Kathmandu, Thankot to Chandragiri Passenger 2400 1000 person/hour Transport to Bhaleshwor Mahadev temple 2016 In operation Tri Chandra Nepal Tara Ropeway (Kathmandu-Hetauda Ropeway) Kathmandu-Hetauda Cargo 42,300 22 tonne/day Used to transport cargo 1964-1994 Non-functional No photoDorsing-Chisapani-Kathmandu Kathmandu Cargo 22,000 It was upgraded to Kathmandu-Hetauda Ropeway in 1964. Engineer was Dilli Jung Thapa. 1922 Non-functional No photoHalchowk-Lainchour Kathmandu Cargo 4,000 Used to transport stones. 1924 Non-functional No photoJanagaun Gravity Ropeway Cargo Used to transport food and medicines. Installed by Practical Action Nepal 2005 In Operation No photoBishaltar Gravity Ropeway Kathmandu Cargo Used to transport food and medicines. Installed by Practical Action Nepal. 2007 In Operation No photoKalinchowk Cable Car Dolkha, (Kuri to Kalinchok Bhagawati Temple Passenger 1,000 Passenger to the temple. 2018 In operation Annapurna Cable Car Pokhara, Phewatal to Sarankot Passenger 2,500 Passenger to the temple. 2020 in Operation NPR 1 Arab and 10 Crores. Kharidunga mine ropeway Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk (Kharidhunga to Lamosanghu) Cargo 10,300 Transport talc and magnesium mine at Kharidhunga. 2020 Non-functional Udayapur cement mine ropeway Udayapur, (Sindhali-hill to factory) Cargo 13,800 Transport limestone. 1987 In Operation No photoLumbini Cable Car Goalpark Bamghat-Basantpur, Tinahu Passenger3,000 Passenger to the temple 2023 in Operation No photoMaula Kali cable car Gaidakot-Maulakali Passenger1,200 Passenger to the temple 2023 in Operation No photoBandipur Cable Car Dumre Bazzar- Bandipur Passenger 1,700 Passenger to the temple 2024 in Operation No photoSiddhartha Cable Car Butwal to Nuwakot (Palpa) Passenger 1,950 Passenger to Nuwakot, Palpa 2024In Operation No Photo
Projects under consideration
Name Location (From - To) Length (m) Type (Cargo or Passenger) Description Current Status Construction cost Muktinath Cable Car Birethanti to Muktinath 86,650 Passenger World's Longest Cable Car Under Construction NPR 35 billion Pathibhara Cable Car Pathibhara (Taplejung) 2,750 Passenger Under Construction Jalpa Devi Cable Car Lamki Chuha (Kailali) 3,100 Passenger Under Construction Sikles Cable Car Madi Rural Municipality (Kaski)6,416 Passenger Under Construction Chimkeswori Cable Car Chhimkeswor Temple (Tanahu) Passenger Under Construction Champadevi Cable Car Chalnakhel (Kathmandu) Passenger Under Construction
Accidents and safety In cargo type ropeways, accidents such as falling off of the bucket (as in Adhi Khola and Jimruk Khola ropeways) usually are not fatal. Four people riding in the ropeway car at Bhapak Ropeway died when the hauling cable snapped on 7 May 1999. The Chandragiri cable car stopped in mid-air once for 40 minutes and twice for 10 minutes on separate occasions in 2020, inducing panic among the passengers.
See also Manakamana Cable Car Chandragiri Cable Car Transportation in Nepal
References