Malcesine–Monte Baldo Cable Car Upgrade and Expansion Plans
Consultation regarding the cable car. Yesterday late morning, the members of the cable car consortium and some regional councilors met at the 1760-meter point of Tredes Pin, the arrival station of the lift connecting the center of the upper lake to Monte Baldo. The occasion also served to officially inaugurate the new ski lift “La Colma,” capable of transporting 895 people per hour compared to the approximately 330 of the past.
Meetings and inaugurations
In the cozy refuge of the Forts, kindly managed by Flora Menotti, the regional vice president Angelo Fiorin, Raffaele Bazzoni, president of the second regional transport commission, the Provincial President Aleardo Merlin, the councilor Davide Fasoli, and the Chamber of Commerce president Massimo Ferro found shelter.
The hosts for the event were the mayor of Malcesine Giuseppe Lombardi and the entire board of directors of the Malcesine – Monte Baldo cable car transportation company, headed by president Giuseppe Venturini.
The “leap” from the shores of Garda to the snowy peaks of the Veronese mountains, aided by the breathtaking view of the lake, brought beneficial influences to those who perhaps were not yet fully aware of the significance of the lift system for the economy of Baldo-Garda.
Renovation projects
There emerged a shared intention to undertake a complete renovation of the cable car, with an estimated cost of around 36 billion lire. Additional expenses for constructing new infrastructure (the station at the valley and the mountain top) would bring the total cost of the project to approximately 45 billion lire.
“More than ten billion lire are still needed to complete everything,” explained Venturini, recalling that without the help of the State, it would not have been possible to build the cable car, which over forty years of management did not cost even a single lira to the public sector.
“Now, the response must come from the Region, and it cannot be negative, considering that the same Region funded five billion lire for the Recoaro 2000 lift, which has lower technical and economic-social promotion features than the Malcesine system.
If we want to build the underground parking with about 200 spaces at the base of the valley station, we need precise answers from Venice in a short timeframe. The renovation work on the cable car and infrastructure must proceed in tandem for obvious reasons,” he added.
Design and technical details
“The strength of the various entities involved in the cable car consortium (Province, Municipality of Malcesine, Chamber of Commerce) provides a significant weight, which can certainly facilitate our task in Venice,” responded Bazzoni.
“We must involve all Verona councilors in this operation,” reiterated Fiorin.
While awaiting good news, engineer Mario Pedrotti, the designer of the system, explained what the new cable car will look like, which is scheduled to be ready by June 2002, with work beginning in September.
“It will still be a gondola-type cable car, but with different capacities. We will go from the current 200 to 600 passengers per hour, thanks to two different types of cabins. The first section will feature traditional cabins with a capacity of 40 people, while the second section will use rotating cabins capable of accommodating up to eighty units.”
“A system that allows passengers, during the ascent, to enjoy a 360-degree view of the landscape thanks to the slow rotational movement of the cabin’s base,” he explained.