Saint-Lary/ France: New gondola

Awaited, the new gondola will connect directly Saint-Lary to the slope by doubling the current cablecar, the pass in the stage of the realization. Indeed, after fifty years to assume the transport of the clientele between the valley and Saint-Lary 1700, the cablecar of  “Pic Lumière” (“Peak Light”) will be doubled from this winter by a gondolma of last generation.

This second clean-transportation will have two objectives: on one hand improve the service to the clientele by eliminating the waits which engendered the actual cablecar at the height of the season and to reduce the environmental impact of the resort by reducing the road stream between the bottom of valley and the tracks.

This gondola is build by Poma (capacity: 10 persons up or 8 seated) with a debit of 2800 persons per hour (against hardly 500 for the current lift). The resort will multiply its transport capacity by six!
The lift will be parallel to the current cablecar with a station of departure behind the Thermal baths of Saint-Lary Soulan on the municipality of Vignec, and an arrival in the heart of Saint-Lary 1700, on tracks at the level of the old “Ruisseau” skilift.

This investment had become indispensable by the development of the resort and for environmental stakes. Saint-Lary is indeed very involved in a initiative of sustainable development these last years and have realized his carbon check-up which advances the impact of the road transport on the environment of a resort.

It is about an investment there structuring for the resort and the valley, fruit of a procedure of about four years to arrive at the phase of construction today. The amount of the project is of the order of 14 million euro with the developments around stations (accesses, car parks).

The works began on June 2nd, 2009, as expected. The construction site will be distributed on 3 sites: both stations (departure and arrival), with in particular important earth-movings to integrate the station of arrival into the landscape, and naturally the line of the gondola in her even (clearing, then realization of the supports of piles and installation of these last ones).

The gondola will measure 2800m of length for a little more of  800m of elevation. It will have 16 pile and about 80 cabins. The time of climb will be of  8mn.

The objective of construction companies, largely local (Socabat, Mécamont) and maitre of work, SIVU Aure 2000, is a delivery from the opening of the next season in December.

some realization were made from spring, 2009 to prepare the construction site, in particular with the installation of a new bridge on Neste river which connects directly the departune station to the center of Saint-Lary Soulan.