The aerial lift in India, also known as ropeways or cableways in India, consists of various Cable transport systems such as Aerial tramway, Chairlift, Gondola lift and Material ropeway where cabins, open chairs or containers are hauled above the ground with the help of cables. With 30% of India being mountainous, aerial lifts offer an efficient mode of connectivity in these terrains where roads and railways are otherwise difficult to build.
While historically restricted to hill stations and pilgrimage sites, under the Indian government's Parvatmala Scheme (), India envisages spending in public–private partnership (PPP) mode over five years till 2030 to build 200 new ropeway projects of more than 1200 km length, to decongest the traffic on the narrow roads of big cities where implementation of other modes would pose challenges, in addition to mountainous locations. This article also contains a list of glass bridge skywalks in tourist locations.
Darjeeling Ropeway in West Bengal was India's first ropeway opened in 1968. Rajgir Ropeway in Bihar, a 333m-long chairlift ropeway built in the 1960s, is India's first chairlift ropeway. As of 2024, the 4 km-long Auli Ropeway in Uttarakhand is India's longest and the world's second-longest (single section) ropeway behind Vietnam's 7,899.9 m long Hòn Thơm cable car,Hon Thom Cable Car (Vietnam): The longest cable car in Southeast Asia, aseanrecords.world, 6 may 2022. and when completed the under-construction 5.5 km-long Mussoorie-Dehradun Ropeway will be the longest in India.India's longest ropeway is a game-changer for Mussoorie and Dehradun, India Today, 26 Oct 2023. Kashi ropeway is India's first urban ropeway,‘Amazing confluence of faith and technology’: PM Modi on India's first urban ropeway system in Varanasi. Top points, Hindustan Times, 29 mar 2023. and world's third urban public transport ropeway behind Bolivia's Mi Teleférico opened in 2014 and Mexico City's Mexicable opened in 2021.India To Be Third Country To Have Public Transport Ropeway. Here's A Look At Other Nations Where It Operates, Abp Live, 23 mar 2023.
As of 2025, all 36 states and union territories (UT) of India have either existing or planned ropeways, except in the UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
History The first aerial lifts in India were being built during the 1960s and 1970s, primarily in hill stations and religious sites. Notably, the Darjeeling ropeway was the first modern ropeway built in India. A chairlift ropeway was then built at Rajgir Hills, Bihar as a 'gift' to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Rajgir by the famous Japanese Buddhist monk Fuji Guruji (Nichidatsu Fujii). Political activist Jai Prakash Narayan was the first person to take the ropeway ride.
Since the 2000s, state governments and private operators have developed several ropeways with modern cabins, automated drive systems and higher safety standards. With the announcement of Parvatmala Pariyojana in 2022, the importance and popularity of ropeways has increased. The project was aimed at creating sustainable ropeway infrastructures in both mountainous and urban regions under a Public–private partnership (PPP) model.
Terminology Indian aerial lifts use a range of technologies depending on terrain, needs and passenger volume. Cabins on modern systems are typically closed, climate resilient and equipped with CCTV surveillance, emergency communication and automated braking systems.
Gondola lift: It consists of a continuously circulating cable, strung between two or more stations over intermediate supporting towers. Mono-cable Detachable Gondola (MDG) is used for short routes and tourism, Bi-cable and Tri-cable systems span longer, provide additional support and safety during strong winds. Gondola lift is also the most widely used aerial lift system in India, including urban regions. Example: Kashi ropeway. Aerial tramway: It uses one or two stationary cables for support, with a third moving cable for propulsion. The grip is fixed onto the propulsion cable and thus cannot be decoupled during operation. They provide lower capacities and frequencies compared to Gondola lifts. Example: Guwahati ropeway. Chairlift: They are continuously circulating systems carrying chairs, usually designed for skiers to board without removing skiing equipment. Detachable chairlifts usually move faster than fixed-grip chairlifts that enable safe boarding and deboarding. Chairlifts in India are also built in non ski areas. Example: Rajgir ropeway Material ropeway: Material ropeways or Goods ropeways is built for carrying goods rather than passengers. They are usually monocable or bi-cable gondola lifts with containers. Example: Pamulapalli coal ropeway.
Legalisation Aerial lift projects in India are regulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and implemented by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) under its National Highway Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), which oversees new projects under Parvatmala Pariyojana. The new ropeways are being aligned with Make in India initiative, which mandates at least 50% of indigenous components in construction.
Tourist ropeways Operational
+ List of operational tourist ropeways in India System Locale Type Length Opened Notes Ambaji ropeway Gabbar Hill, Gujarat Monocabled gondola 1998 Opened windows. Auli ropeway Joshimath, Uttarakhand Aerial tramway 1993 Glass windows. Bambleshwari Temple ropeway Dongargarh, Chhattisgarh Bi-cabled gondola lift 2021 Glass windows. Bhaleydhunga ropeway Namchi district, Sikkim Monocable gondola lift 2024 Glass windows. Bhatta falls ropeway Mussoorie, Uttarakhand Monocable gondola lift 2019 Bheraghat ropeway Bhedaghat, Madhya Pradesh Monocable gondola lift 2025 Glass windows. Bhopal ropeway Mahaveer Giri, Madhya Pradesh Monocable gondola lift Unknown Glass windows. Chandi devi ropeway Haridwar, Uttarakhand Monocable gondola lift 1997 Glass windows. Chitrakoot ropeway Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh Monocable gondola lift Unknown Opened windows. Darjeeling Ropeway Darjeeling, West Bengal Monocable gondola lift 1968 Glass windows. India's first ropeway. Dewas ropeway Dewas, Madhya Pradesh Monocable gondola lift 2017 Glass windows. Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple ropeway Palani, Tamil Nadu Monocable gondola lift 2004 Open windows. Digha ropeway Digha, West Bengal Monocable gondola lift 2015 Glass windows. Gangtok ropeway Gangtok, Sikkim Monocable gondola lift 2003 Glass windows. Plans to convert into urban ropeway. Girnar ropeway Mount Girnar, Gujarat Monocable gondola lift 2020 Glass windows. Gulmarg Gondola Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir Monocable gondola lift 1998 Ski resort gondola lift; Glass windows. Gun Hill ropeway Mussoorie, Uttarakhand Aerial tramway 1971 Glass windows. India's first aerial tramway. Hirakud Dam ropeway Hirakud, Odisha Monocable gondola lift Unknown Glass windows. Jammu ropeway Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir Monocable gondola lift 2020 Glass windows. Jakhu Temple ropeway Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Aerial tramway 2017 Glass windows. Kailasagiri ropeway Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh Monocable gondola lift 2004 Glass windows. Kolkata Science City ropeway Kolkata, West Bengal Monocable gondola lift 1998 Opened windows. Laxman Pahadi ropeway Chitrakoot district, Uttar Pradesh Monocable gondola lift 2019 Glass windows. Maa Sharda ropeway Maihar, Madhya Pradesh Monocable gondola lift Unknown Glass windows. Madan Negi ropeway Sandana, Uttarakhand Aerial trmaway Unknown Caged windows. Marjing Polo Complex ropeway Imphal, Manipur Monocable gondola lift 2025 Glass windows. Nainital ropeway Nainital, Uttarakhand Aerial tramway 1990 Glass windows. Nandankanan ropeway Bhubaneswar, Odisha Monocable gondola lift 2023 Partial glass windows. Parwanoo ropeway Parwanoo Timber Trail, Himachal Pradesh Aerial tramway 1988 Partially opened glass windows. Pavagadh ropeway Pavagadh Hill, Gujarat Monocable gondola lift 1986 Glass windows. Pushkar Savitri Mata Temple ropeway Pushkar, Rajasthan Monocable gondola lift 2015 Partially opened glass windows. Rajgir ropeway Rajgir, Bihar Chairlift 1969 Single seater. India's first chairlift ropeway. Saputara ropeway Saputara, Gujarat Monocable gondola lift 1991 Partially opened glass windows. Shri Naina Devi ropeway Sri Naina Devi, Himachal Pradesh Monocable gondola lift 1997 Caged windows. Srisailam ropeway Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh Monocable gondola lift 2005 Opened windows. Sundha Mata Temple ropeway Jalore district, Rajasthan Monocable gondola lift 2006 Glass windows. Surkanda Devi ropeway Saklana range, Uttarakhand Monocable gondola lift 2022 Glass windows. Tara Tarini Mandir ropeway Purushottampur, Odisha Monocable gondola lift 2013 Glass windows. Vaishno Devi Temple ropeway Katra, Jammu and Kashmir Aerial tramway 2018 Glass windows; Air conditioned
Systems in development
+ List of under-development tourist ropeways in India System Locale Type Length Year proposed Construction began Planned opening Notes Shillong peak ropeway Shillong, Meghalaya Monocable gondola lift 2022 2024 TBD Glass windows. Nandi hills ropeway Chikkaballapur, Karnataka Monocable gondola lift 2023 2026 2028 Glass windows. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep ropeway Ross Is., Andaman and Nicobar TBD 2023 TBD TBD Dhosi Hill ropeway Dhosi hill, Haryana Bi-cabled gondola lift 2024 2025 TBD Construction tender awarded (Feb 2025)MOUs inked for ropeways in four northeast states under Parvatmala pariyojana, sentinelassam.com, 25 Feb 2025. Panaji ropeway Panaji, Goa TBD 2025 TBD TBD Golconda fort ropeway Golconda, Telangana TBD 2025 TBD TBD Tiruvannamalai ropeway Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid for DPR invited in Nov 2025. Glenmorgan-Singara Power House ropeway Ooty, Tamil Nadu TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid for DPR invited in Nov 2025.Bids invited for DPR to build six ropeway corridors in Tamil Nadu, dtnext.in, 17 Nov 2025. Kurangani Top Station ropeway Theni district, Tamil Nadu TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid for DPR invited in Nov 2025. Thoranamalai Murugan Temple Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid for DPR invited in Nov 2025. Sathuragiri Hills ropeway-1 Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid for DPR invited in Nov 2025. Sathuragiri Hills ropeway-2 Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid for DPR invited in Nov 2025. Bijli Mahadev ropeway Kullu, Himachal Pradesh TBD 2025 TBD TBD Construction tender awarded (Feb 2025) Mahakaleshwar Temple ropeway Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh TBD 2025 TBD TBD Construction tender awarded (Feb 2025) Sangam ropeway Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh TBD 2025 TBD TBD Construction tender awarded (Feb 2025) Shankaracharya Temple ropeway Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir TBD 2025 TBD TBD Construction tender awarded (Feb 2025) Sonprayag-Kedarnath ropeway Kedarnath, Uttarakhand TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid invited (Feb 2025) Govindghat Hemkund Sahib ropeway Hemkund Sahib, Uttarakhand TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid invited (Feb 2025) Kamakhya Temple ropeway Assam TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid invited (Feb 2025) Tawang Monastery-PT Tso Lake ropeway Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid invited (Feb 2025) Kathgodam-Hanuman Garhi Temple ropeway Nainital, Uttarakhand TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid invited (Feb 2025) Ramtek Gad Temple ropeway Ramtek, Maharashtra TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid invited (Feb 2025) Brahmagiri-Anjaneri ropeway Anjaneri, Maharashtra TBD 2025 TBD TBD Bid invited (Feb 2025)
Abandoned systems
+ List of abandoned tourist ropeways in India System Locale Type Length Opened Closed Notes Tawang Monastery ropeway Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh Bi-cabled gondola lift 2010 2024 Permanently closed. Trikut Hill ropeway Deoghar, Jharkhand Monocable gondola lift 2009 2022 Permanently closed after fatal accident.
Urban ropeways Operational
+ List of operational urban ropeways in India System Locale Type Lines Stations Length Opened Notes Guwahati Ropeway Umananda Island, Assam Aerial tramway 1 3 24 August 2020 Glass windows; Swiss manufactured cabins.