World's first open-air double-decker cable car

The CabriO Stanserhorn cable car in Switzerland, built by Austria’s Doppelmayr Group, is the world’s first open-air double-decker cable car.

From Superinnovators 25/08/24

CabriO Stanserhorn cable car. Credit: epic.swiss

It was constructed in 2012 and operates between Kälti valley station at 711 metres and a mountain station at 1,849 metres above sea level.

The cable car travels a sloping length of 2,319 metres at a speed of 8 metres per second, taking seven minutes per journey.

It has a capacity of 60 people and can transport up to 465 passengers per hour.

The CabriO cable car features a suspension cable track width of five metres, supported by four pylons.

The total investment for the project was CHF 29.4 million (around $32 million).

Since its introduction, similar open-air cable cars have been built in Italy and Switzerland, but with smaller balcony spaces.

CabriO Stanserhorn cable car. Doppelmayr Group

The Wengen-Männlichen cable car, opened in Switzerland in 2018, and the Tiers-Frommeralm cable car in Italy, opened in 2021 – the country’s first of this kind.

Both of these cars hang on the cables via a roof-mounted arm limiting upper floor space, while the CabriO Stanserhorn is attached at the side leaving most of the roof space for open-air viewing.

So, the CabriO remains unique, combining nostalgic elements with cutting-edge technology for a remarkable mountain journey.

It joins a long line of cable car innovations in Switzerland beginning with the world’s first aerial cable car that opened in 1908 in Grindelwald.