Hölzl Leads Italy’s Largest Cable Car Project with Rotating Cabins
A consortium of South Tyrolean companies, three of which are based in the Burgraviato, has been tasked with demolishing and reconstructing the cable car connecting Malcesine to the overlying Monte Baldo. Hölzl srl of Lana, along with a consortium of local firms, secured the 40 billion lira contract. This represents the most significant cableway project awarded in Italy in the last decade. Hölzl’s ambitions do not end here; they promise innovations: the cabins of the Baldo cable car will be rotating, making them the first of their kind ever built worldwide.
Participants in the Tender and Project Features
The tender for the construction of the new cable car attracted companies from across Europe. Notably, the project is a turnkey operation, with Hölzl called to coordinate all phases—from demolishing the old stations at the bottom, intermediate, and top, to building new structures, including a subterranean parking lot for 200 vehicles, and finally commissioning the cabins. A key aspect of the project is the challenge of overcoming a steep incline—covering over 1,600 meters of elevation gain over a 4,300-meter cableway run from Malcesine to the summit of Monte Baldo.
The adopted solution is a dual cable car system, with an initial station, an intermediate station, and a top station. This configuration enabled Hölzl srl to incorporate a worldwide innovation: the operation of two rotating cable car cabins.
Innovations and Rotating System
“Along the second segment of the cable car,” explains Albert Gufler, CEO of Hölzl srl and project leader for the Monte Baldo consortium, “we will operate two rotating cabins. On the stretch from the intermediate station to the upper station, the cabin will perform a 360-degree turn, offering panoramic views of Lake Garda. Currently, only three cable car systems in the world have rotating cabins, but none have achieved a full 360-degree rotation. We will be the first.”
The contract was awarded by the public-capital company managing the facility (owned by the Province and the Chamber of Commerce of Verona, each holding 35%, and the Municipality of Malcesine with 30%). The consortium includes, alongside Hölzl, the companies Agamatic of Lana, Pichler Stahlbau of Bolzano, Trojerbau of Eppan, Moosmaier of Val Passiria, and Erdbau of Merano.
Status of Work and Technologies Used
Construction was handed over at the beginning of September, and demolition of the old stations is nearly complete. Advanced technologies are employed even at this stage. Erdbau has installed an inert material crushing mill, allowing the recycled demolition material to be reused for concrete foundations, backfill, and drainage, thus eliminating truck trips, landfills, and pollution.
The consortium has 300 days to complete the project, which is scheduled for inauguration in early summer 2002.
Capacity and Future Outlook
“On the first segment of the cable car,” continues Albert Gufler, “from Malcesine to San Michele, cabins will have a capacity of 45 people, while on the second segment, from San Michele to Monte Baldo, they can carry up to 80 passengers. Overall, we will triple the capacity compared to the old system built 40 years ago, enabling up to 600 people per hour to reach the mountain.”
For Hölzl, which is about to merge with Agamatic and Doppelmayr—all based in Lana—to form the new Doppelmayr Italia spa, the Malcesine-Monte Baldo cable car project is a significant commitment. With 65 employees, the company will devote all its efforts to meeting deadlines and preparing for an ambitious new assignment that, in fall 2002, could involve refurbishing the cable car running from Laces to the Masi della Solitudine in San Martino.
