The leadership of Liberec wants to extend the cable car to the tram and have it with just one cabin

Liberec - One cabin suspended on two cables with an extended route to the tram terminal in Horní Hanychov - this variant for the reconstruction of the cable car to Ještěd is preferred by Liberec city councilors. The decision, however, will be up to the representatives who will discuss the cable car in a week. According to Mayor Jaroslav Zámečník (Mayors for the Liberec Region), the council also took into account the results of a survey in which nearly 1,700 people voted.

"Fifty-eight percent responded in favor of the two-cable cabin," said the mayor to journalists. This is a variant nicknamed tram or bus, where up to 100 people can fit into a single cabin. Until the tragic accident in October 2021, two cabins, each carrying up to 35 people, were transporting passengers pendulously to Ještěd.

The city is choosing from three variants for both the current and extended route; according to the mayor, the councilors also considered the economic aspect in their evaluations. "So far, the original variant with two cabins, which shuttle back and forth, comes out as the most expensive option according to the feasibility study. The one-cabin on two cables appears as a medium-cost option, while the circular variant is seen as the cheapest. However, we believe that the circular cabin, although it may be economically interesting for some investors, is not suitable for the city of Liberec and for Ještěd," Zámečník stated.

According to the feasibility study, building the circular cable car on the extended route with 17 cabins would cost between 330 and 400 million, constructing the "tram" would cost between 360 and 440 million, and restoring the shuttle cable car would cost between 410 and 500 million. "We plan to build the cable car using the design and build system, which means design and construct. This would transfer all the concerns regarding the issuance of building permits to the contractor," the mayor added. In the most optimistic scenario, according to him, the new cable car could be in operation by January 2029.

The aerial cable car to Ještěd currently has a length of nearly 1.2 kilometers; by extending to the tram terminal, it would be extended by another 770 meters. Since the tragic accident, when a conductor died due to the fall of one of the two cabins, it has been out of operation. Although the cable car is currently owned by Czech Railways (ČD), the transport operator has already reached an agreement with the city on the price at which it will sell it. Both the city councilors and the ČD board agreed on the price of 34.976 million crowns. The city's council is expected to approve this property transaction either next week or at the May meeting.