August 2019– Table Mountain Cableway have announced that the attraction will re-open on Monday, 12 August 2019 (weather permitting), one week earlier than expected following a five-week shut down for scheduled annual maintenance.
“Thanks to the hard work of the dedicated maintenance team, under the exceptional leadership of our Technical Manager Emile Streicher, we are excited to say that the Cableway will be re-opening ahead of schedule,” says Cableway Managing Director Wahida Parker. “We look forward to welcoming our visitors from near and far back to the mountain.”
The maintenance team, made up of the Cableway’s internal staff, riggers and equipment experts from Switzerland, completed over 400hours of work. The biggest jobs included the replacement of the heel and haul ropes, testing and replacement (where required) of the load bearing components on the cabins, the mechanical overhaul of the rotating floors and cabin door mechanisms in the cable cars and maintenance of the hydraulic and brake system.
Streicher says: “The heel and haul ropes are 2.4km long and together weigh 10 tonnes so a lot of man-power is needed to manoeuvre these. Although we work with big, often heavy equipment and parts, our to do list needs to be completed with finesse and accuracy. Throughout maintenance, we are required to adhere to a strict schedule. The biggest challenge of this year’s maintenance was navigating the unpredictable winter weather and it was not unusual for work to continue in rain, wind and extreme cold!”
Parker says that safety is of paramount importance to the attraction. “Annual maintenance is a non-negotiable and ensures we can continue to safely and efficiently showcase our beautiful mountain to over one million visitors each year – a responsibility, and honour, that we do not take lightly.”
“During the 5 week shutdown we also took the opportunity to improve the visitor experience. The Café has seen a minor overhaul with the installation of new ovens and general maintenance was done in the Ticket Office and retail areas. Core IT service and networking upgrades were completed and, in order to provide updated information to visitors, a digital signboard has been installed at the Lower Station queuing area. Improvements have also been made to the ticketing system which is currently undergoing further testing before role out,” concluded Parker.
The maintenance schedule is aligned with the highest global cableway standards set by the Swiss Governing Body for Cableways (BAV).
South Africans, 18 years and older, who celebrated their birthday within the closure period can redeem their complimentary Cableway ticket until Sunday, 18 August. The 3-for-1 Kidz Season special for locals is back, seven days a week, until 30 September 2019.Go to tablemountain.net or call (021) 424 8181 or find them on Twitter @TableMountainCa and Facebook Facebook.com/TableMountainCa for more information.