“I am confident that the numerous citizens who will use this cable car will see that the ride is both safe and comfortable,” Tomašević said, adding that the main task now is to enhance and increase the attractions and infrastructure on Mount Sljeme, overlooking the capital.
The old cable car was inaugurated in 1963 for the transport of athletes, recreationists and mountaineers, and its route was 4 km, 1 km shorter than the current one. It was one of the longest in Europe and the ride took some 20 minutes. It stopped operating in summer 2007 due to an engine fault, it was also decided that building a new cable car route was going to be more cost-efficient. A ticket cost HRK 11.
The construction of the new cable car was announced by the late mayor Milan Bandić in July 2016. HRK 30 million was earmarked in the city budget for the following year for the construction. A building permit was issued in summer 2018, and works began the following 25 January.
The new cable car was to have been inaugurated on 3 January 2021, but this was delayed until the final papers were ready and for some reconstruction works to be finished in April. However, there was a problem with noise and the final permit was obtained on Monday.
Tomašević said this was “an inherited, megalomaniacal project” worth HRK 537 million without VAT. The city would repay HRK 45 million annually over the next 12 years.
That amount refers to the cable car’s capital expense, while an additional amount will be set aside from the city budget to cover 50% of its operating expenses.
“The investment in the cable car will never be returned and its big capacity to transport passengers to Sljeme will never be used to that extent,” the mayor said.
The ride lasts 22 minutes. The cable car’s maximum capacity is 1,500 passengers per hour, carried in 84 cabins with ten seats each.
The Sljeme Cable Car will operate from 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 6 pm on weekends. The first month will be a promotional period and then the cable car will be closed for additional noise-reduction works, after which it will be put into regular operation.
During the promotional month, a one-way ticket will be HRK 30 for adults and HRK 20 for persons aged 15-24 and those over 60, while a return ticket will be HRK 50 for adults and HRK 30 for the other group. Children under 14 and persons will disabilities can use the cable car for free.
(€1 = HRK 7.5)
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