Ropeways were initially developed based on the simple concept of two cabins connected to the same hauling or carrying-hauling rope in such a way that when the rope is pulled to carry up one cabin, the other descends, and obviously you make sure that they arrive at opposite stations at the same time.
The vehicles are attached to the hauling or carrying-hauling rope with a fixed grip, and the variation in cable speed enables them to slow down as they approach stations and then stop.
The major disadvantages of this concept are the low number of cabins (2), and the fact that transport and cabin loading times add up.
Like gondola lifts, this concept can use both monocable and bicable technologies.
Bicable reversible aerial ropeways - Val Thorens | STRMTG
Bicable reversible aerial ropeways
To achieve “decent” throughputs (2000 people per hour at best), very high-capacity cabins are needed (up to 200 people on two levels), which is only possible with bicable technology, given the presence of carrying ropes.
In addition, with this type of installation, carrying speeds can reach 12.5 m/s (45 km/h).
These characteristics lead to non-standard installations that are reserved for sites where the unique capacity of this concept to span huge distances without pylons (several kilometres) at great heights outweighs the disadvantages.
These kinds of distances are currently impossible with monocable technologies.
Examples:
The Aiguille du Midi aerial ropeway in Chamonix, where 60-passenger gondolas travel on cables spanning a distance of over 3 km and a height of almost 1,500 metres.
The La Plagne-Les Arcs aerial ropeway, where 200-passenger, two-storey cabins travel on cables spanning a distance of 2 km.
These installations are very costly.
Monocable reversible aerial ropeways
Monocable technologies limit the performance of reversible aerial ropeways.
The absence of a carrying rope means that they are limited to relatively small installations for specific applications (providing transport to residences or temporary connections).
This concept can be useful for sites that are highly exposed to wind and where the throughputs are not very high (around 2000 people per hour).