Ústí n.L. has the longest cable car without supporting columns in the Czech Republic

Ústí nad Labem - Today, a cable car connecting the shopping center and the Větruše castle began operation in Ústí nad Labem. It is the longest cable car without support columns in the Czech Republic, said Jan Řeřicha, the deputy mayor of Ústí, to ČTK. During the first hour, the cable car transported around 300 eager passengers, but then it stopped for 45 minutes. It had a minor hydraulic issue, but it is now operating again.
There was great interest among the residents of Ústí to take a ride. "There was a line of people waiting for the first ride at the Forum. Primarily older people and many children arrived, most often grandparents with their grandchildren," said Ivana Solničková, spokesperson for the city of Ústí nad Labem, to ČTK. However, about an hour later, the cable car stopped and was out of service for another 45 minutes. "There was a minor malfunction in the hydraulic system, and since everything is set for maximum safety, the system stopped it. Everything is still in trial operation," she added.
The cable car cost approximately 80 million crowns, most of which was covered by the European Union. The city contributed about 7.5 percent. The construction took less than a year. The operator is the Transport Company of the City of Ústí nad Labem. The route between Větruše and the roof of the shopping center is 330 meters long, and the two pendulum cabins, which hold 15 people each, will cover it in two minutes. The cable on which both cabins hang measures 760 meters and has a diameter of 3.6 centimeters. The cable car overcomes a height difference of fifty meters.
"The cable car will operate daily from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The cabins will pendulum against each other from the upper station at Větruše and from the lower one on the roof of the Futurum shopping center. A ticket will cost the same as in other public transport in Ústí—15 crowns," said Řeřicha. The city has prepared 4.8 million crowns for the cable car’s operation next year, which needs to be subsidized.
Two workers at the stations and one operator will take care of the cable car operation during one shift, with every first Monday of the month reserved for potential maintenance when the cable car will not run. The operators from Ústí trained on another unique feature, the cable car to Komáří vížku in Teplice, which is the longest cable car without intermediate stops in Central Europe. It is nearly 2.5 kilometers long.
The city hopes that the cable car will revive the area around Větruše, which reopened a restaurant last autumn and hosts various social events. In recent years, the city has invested about 130 million crowns into the renovation of the castle and its surroundings, which now include new sports facilities and a maze.