Gulmarg Gondola

Gulmarg Gondola
Gulmarg Gondola
	Asia's highest and longest cable car.
	Location within Jammu and Kashmir
Overview
Status	Operational
Character	Recreational
Location	Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir
Country	India
Coordinates	34°02′43″N 74°23′04″E / 34.04528°N 74.38444°E
Construction begin	1998
Open	27 October 1998; 26 years ago
Last extension	28 May 2005; 19 years ago
Website	www.jammukashmircablecar.com
Operation
Operator	Jammu & Kashmir Cable Car Corporation
Operating times	10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Trips daily	24
Headway	30 minutes
Trip duration	9 minutes
Fare	700 Indian Rupees (11 US$) for the first stage and 900 Indian Rupees (15 US$) for the second stage
Technical features
Aerial lift type	Aerial tramway
Manufactured by	French firm Pomagalski

Gulmarg Gondola in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, an administered union territory of India is the second longest and second highest cable car in the world. ^[1] Higher lines include the Dagu Glacier Gondola.

Background

Gulmarg Gondola - The New Cable Car of Gulmarg

The two-stage gondola lift ferries about 600 people per hour to and from Kongdoori Mountain, a shoulder of nearby Apharwat Peak (4,260 m (13,976 ft)). The ropeway project is a joint venture of the Jammu and Kashmir government and French firm Pomagalski. The first stage transfers from the Gulmarg resort at 2,650 m (8,694 ft) to Kongdoori Station in the bowl-shaped Kongdori valley. The second stage of the ropeway, which has 36 cabins and 18 towers, takes skiers to a height of 3,980 m (13,058 ft) on Kongdoori Mountain, a shoulder of nearby Afarwat Peak (4,200 m (13,780 ft)). The second stage was completed in a record time of about two years at a cost of 180,000,000 Indian Rupees (i.e. some US$4.5 million) and opened on 28 May 2005. The French company had also built the first phase of the gondola project, connecting Gulmarg to Kongdoori, in 1998.

The timing of the gondola is 10 AM (IST) to 5 PM (It's highly dependent upon the weather at both stages). A gondola can carry six people at a time. The price is 700 Indian Rupees (11 US$) for the first stage and 900 Indian Rupees (15 US$) for the second stage. Also offered is Chair Cars for phase-II for 300/- INR. It takes approximately 9 minutes to reach the first stage and 12 minutes for second stage.

An accident occurred on 15 June 2017 due to an enormous pine tree being uprooted by a gust of wind and breaking the perspex windows on one of the gondola cabins, causing it to swing violently and its seven occupants to fall 100 ft (30 m) to the ground.^[2] Gulmarg Gondola grossed revenue of about ₹ 100 crore in FY 2022-2023.

Gallery

Gulmarg gondola base station in May 2013
Gulmarg Kungdoor gondola station in May 2013, 2nd stage gondola and chairlift seen on right
Gulmarg Gondola station in April 2013
Ski Resort Terrain Map showing Gulmarg Gondola, lift, and terrain
Boarding passes