History of the cableway

Built in 1958, it is the first aerial cableway in Switzerland with a fully automatic to-and-fro movement, and is therefore of great importance for the nation's technical history. In addition to the cable car winch, the closing of the cabin doors, the collection of the cost of the ride, passenger counting and overweight control are also automatically controlled and managed with this system.

The installation is based on a system developed by the engineer Karl Peter from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, built with components supplied by Swiss manufacturers and developed with an ideal route from the point of view of single-pylon ropeway technology. It is the only installation of its kind existing in Switzerland. In 1997 the two cabins were replaced and the profiled steel suspensions with their eight-roller trolleys were overhauled. In the same year, the service brake, control and monitoring system were also replaced. The engine and gearbox are the original ones, dating back to the year of construction.

The bottom and top stations are constructions with concrete frames and brick and glass fillings. The buildings have the formal style of the 1950s. Next to the top station is the Ristorante Funivia.
Preserved largely in its original state, this Ticino cable car is impressive not only for the technical rarity of its installations, but also for the construction of the stations typical of the period and of excellent architectural quality.

(Technical and construction data source: www.seilbahninventar.ch/objekt.php?objid=40989&lang=it)

The cable car takes just 4 minutes to reach the village of Brusino Arsizio from Serpiano and vice versa, and the two cabins can each accommodate 10 people or 3 people with bikes.
It remains the fastest means of transport in the Monte San Giorgio region.

Some technical details about the cableway:

- Brusino Station 285m
- Station Serpiano 650m
- Cable car route 934m
- Height difference 365m
- Slope Max 88%, Average 43%
- Speed Max 6m/s, Average G.4m/s, Min. G.2m/s
- Max. transport per cabin 10 persons or 800 kg
- Main motor power 43/57 kw
- Rescue engine power 11 kw

History of the cableway

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