Gulmarg Gondola

Gulmarg Gondola in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir,is the second longest and second highest cable car in the world. Higher lines include the Mi Teleférico in Bolivia and at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

Gulmarg Gondola
Gulmarg cable car.
Location within Jammu and Kashmir
Overview
Status	Operational
Character	Recreational
Location	Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir
Country	India
Coordinates
Elevation	lowest:  2650m highest: 3950m
No. of stations	3
Construction begin	1998
Open	27 October 1998 (1998-10-27)
Last extension	28 May 2005 (2005-05-28)
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	810 Indian Rupees (as of April 2024) 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

Background

Gulmarg Gondola Specification

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. The gondola swung violently and its seven occupants fell 100 ft (30 m) to the ground; all were killed. 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

See also

• Aerial tramway
• List of gondola lifts
• Ropeway
• List of aerial tramways
• Cable transport

External links

• Official website
• Description by Remontées Mécaniques (French)
• Article in BBC News of 26 February 2009