Table Mountain Aerial Cableway
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History of the Cableway

 

  • The Cableway was first built almost 78 years ago. On 4 October 1929 the Cableway opened its doors to its first visitors. The opening ceremony, led by the then mayor of Cape Town, drew 200 guests.

  • Since then three upgrades have taken place, with the most recent in October 1997.

Number of Visitors to the Cableway

 

  • To date the Cableway has transported more than 18 million passengers to the summit.

  • 800 000 visitors from all over the world use the Cableway annually.

  • Even with so many visitors, queuing time is minimal due to the new upgraded system.

About the cable cars

 

  • The 65 passenger cable car runs from Tafelberg Road to the top of Table Mountain. The floor rotates giving everyone a 360 degree view on the way up.

  • The cable car was imported from Switzerland and there are only 2 other such cable cars in the world, one in Titlis in the Swiss Alps in Switzerland, and one in Palm Springs in America.

  • The cable cars take about 5-10 minutes to reach the top of the mountain and they travel at a speed of up to 10 meters per second.

  • The cable cars can carry a maximum weight of 5200 kg and works on a counter weight system weighing 134 tonnes each.

  • The length of the cables are 1200m.

  • The cables weigh 18 tonnes.

  • The height of Table Mountain at its highest point is 1085m.

  • The round cable car offers excellent aerodynamics in Cape Town’s famous strong South Easter winds.

  • The base of the cable car is in fact a water tank that can carry up to 4000 litres of fresh water used to ballast during the windy season, they also supply fresh water for visitors.