# Ropeways in Nepal

Ropeways in Nepal, which mainly refer to the aerial ropeways, are used for human and cargo transport. In the ‘Nepal Country Report’ of 1976 by the world bank concluded that construction and maintenance of roads in mountainous are costly due to hilly terrain, and thus other means of transport should be studied mainly indicating to the ropeways. However, ropeways have not gained significant popularity over roadways. In the Ninth Five-year Plan ropeway was encouraged with and involvement of the private sector. But no provision in the national budget was made for ropeway development. Nonetheless, private sector has initiated the construction and operation of ropeways mainly in lucrative places such as religious temple.

## History

The first ropeway to carry cargo was Halchowk-Lainchour ropeway which was used to transport stones from the quarry to build palaces. The famous, Dhorsing-chisapnai-Chandragiri ropeway passing into Kathmandu was built by Chandra Shamser Rana in 1922. It was upgraded in 1964 to reach to Hetauda with a total length of 42 km with technical and financial assistance from USAID.

## Types of ropeways in Nepal

Following are the types of ropeways based on the operation mechanism and types of transport.

### Tar pul or Ghirling

Also known as twin, these are rudimentary ropeways used in lieu of bridges to cross rivers. These are generally installed by the local community based on necessity. As of May 2004, there are 25 Tar Pul in Kavre, Gorkha, Myagdi, Udaypur, Chitwan and Lamjung

### Gravity Ropeways

A gravity ropeway operates by using potential energy with mechanical power. A weight lowered from a higher elevation lifts the cargo. Ropeways of this type were first used in Mustang to transport apples. Since then they have been installed in four other locations: Gorkha, Tanahun, Kalikot and Achham. Most of the construction ropeways fall in this category.

### Cargo Ropeways

Cargo ropeways are used in Nepal to transport goods from one place to another. The first ropeway, Halchowk-Lainchour, was in fact a cargo ropeway. The most famous cargo ropeway was the Kathmandu-Hetauda Ropeway, which is now out of operation.

### Passenger ropeways

Mostly electrically operated, these kinds of ropeways or Cable Cars are used by passengers. The first of this kind was Manakamana Cable Car, established in 1998.

## List of ropeways in Nepal

This list does not include the smaller ghirlings, which are more numerous.
| Name | Location (From - To) | Type (Cargo or Passenger) | Length (m) | Capacity | Description | Operation date (Start-End) | Current Status | Construction cost | Photo |
| Adhi khola ropeway | Syangja | Cargo | 1200 | 300 kg | Used to transport construction material for Adhikhola Hydropower Project | 1985 | Non-functional | NPR 2.3 Million | No photo |
| Jimhruk khola ropeway | Syangja, Madi-to construction sites | Cargo | 1200 | 800 kg | Used to transport construction material for Jhimruk Khola Hydropower Project | 1990 | Non-functional | NPR 3.5 Million | No photo |
| Khimti Ropeway | Kirene- construction sites | Cargo | 2100 | | Used to transport construction material for Khimti I Hydropower Project | | Non-functional | NPR 35 Million | No photo |
| Hetauda Cement Factory Ropeway | Hetauda Quarry site-factory | Cargo | 11,000 | 150 tonn/hr | Used to transport stones | | Non-functional | | No photo |
| Bhattedanda Milkway | Lalitpur, Bhattedada-Jhakridada | Cargo | 3022 | 450 kg | Used to transport milk and khuwa (खुवा) | 1995–2001, 2002- | Unknown | | No photo |
| Bharpak Ropeway | Gorkha | Cargo | | | Used to transport general merchandise. Stopped working after the accident. | 1998-1999 | Non-functional | | |
| Manakamana Cable Car | Chitwan | Passenger | 2772 | 600 person/hour | Transport to the Manakamana Temple from Prithvi Highway | 1998 | In operation | | Manakamana Cable Car |
| Chandragiri Cable Car | Kathmandu, Thankot to Chandragiri | Passenger | 2400 | 1000 person/hour | Transport to Bhaleshwor Mahadev temple | 2016 | In operation | | Chadragiri |
| Tri Chandra Nepal Tara Ropeway (Kathmandu-Hetauda Ropeway) | Kathmandu-Hetauda | Cargo | 42,300 | 22 tonn/day | Used to transport cargo | 1964-1994 | Non-functional | | No photo |
| Dorsing-Chisapani-Kathmandu | Kathmandu | Cargo | 22,000 | | It was upgraded to Kathmandu-Hetauda Ropeway in 1964. Engineer was Dilli Jung Thapa. | 1922 | Non-functional | | No photo |
| Halchowk-Lainchour | Kathmandu | Cargo | 4,000 | | Used to transport stones. | 1924 | Non-functional | | No photo |
| Janagaun Gravity Ropeway | | Cargo | | | Used to transport food and medicines. Installed by Practical Action Nepal | 2005 | In Operation | | No photo |
| Bishaltar Gravity Ropeway | Kathmandu | Cargo | | | Used to transport food and medicines. Installed by Practical Action Nepal. | 2007 | In Operation | | No photo |
| Kalinchowk Cable Car | Dolkha, (Kuri to Kalinchok Bhagawati Temple | Passenger | 1,000 | | Passenger to the temple. | 2018 | In operation | | |
| Annapurna Cable Car | Pokhara, Phewatal to Sarankot | Passenger | 2,500 | | Passenger to the temple. | 2020 | in Operation | NPR 1 Arab and 10 Crores. | Annapurna Cable Car |
| Kharidunga mine ropeway | Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk (Kharidhunga to Lamosanghu) | Cargo | 10,300 | | Transport talc and magnesium mine at Kharidhunga. | 2020 | Non-functional | | Kharidunga mine ropeway |
| Udayapur cement mine ropeway | Udayapur, (Sindhali-hill to factory) | Cargo | 13,800 | | Transport limestone. | 1987 | In Operation | | No photo |
| Lumbini Cable Car | Goalpark Bamghat-Basantpur, Tinahu | Passenger | 3,000 | | Passenger to the temple | 2023 | in Operation | | No photo |
| Maula Kali cable car | Gaidakot-Maulakali | Passenger | 1,200 | | Passenger to the temple | 2023 | in Operation | | No photo |
| Bandipur Cable Car | Dumre Bazzar- Bandipur | Passenger | 1,700 | | Passenger to the temple | 2024 | in Operation | | No photo |
| Siddhartha Cable Car | Butwal to Nuwakot (Palpa) | Passenger | 1,950 | | Passenger to Nuwakot, Palpa | 2024 | In Operation | | No Photo |

## Projects under consideration

| Name | Location (From - To) | Length (m) | Type (Cargo or Passenger) | Description | Current Status | Construction cost |
| Muktinath Cable Car | Birethanti to Muktinath | 86,650 | Passenger | World's Longest Cable Car | Under Construction | NPR 35 billion |
| Pathibhara Cable Car | Pathibhara (Taplejung) | 2,750 | Passenger | | Under Construction | |
| Jalpa Devi Cable Car | Lamki Chuha (Kailali) | 3,100 | Passenger | | Under Construction | |
| Sikles Cable Car | Madi Rural Municipality (Kaski) | 6,416 | Passenger | | Under Construction | |
| Chimkeswori Cable Car | Chhimkeswor Temple (Tanahu) | | Passenger | | Under Construction | |
| Champadevi Cable Car | Chalnakhel (Kathmandu) | | Passenger | | Under Construction | |

## Accidents and safety

* In cargo type ropeways, accidents such as falling off of the bucket (as in Adhi Khola and Jimruk Khola ropeways) usually are not fatal.
* Four people riding in the ropeway car at Bhapak Ropeway died when the hauling cable snapped on 7 May 1999.
* The Chandragiri cable car stopped in mid-air once for 40 minutes and twice for 10 minutes on separate occasions in 2020, inducing panic among the passengers.