1990 Tbilisi aerial tramway accident

1990 Tbilisi aerial tramway accident

A cable car like the one in the 1990 accident.
Date 1 June 1990 (1990-06-01)
Location Tbilisi, Soviet Georgia
Coordinates 41°41′57″N 44°47′18″E / 41.69917°N 44.78833°E / 41.69917; 44.78833
Deaths 20
Non-fatal injuries 15

The 1990 Tbilisi aerial tramway accident was an aerial tramway accident in Tbilisi, the capital of Soviet Georgia on June 1 1990, which resulted in at least 20 deaths and 15 injuries.

Panoramic view from Mt. Mtatsminda down on Rustaveli Avenue in 2009

The accident involved 2 gondolas on a ropeway route between Rustaveli Avenue and Mount Mtatsminda.[1] The red gondola number 1 was on its way down from the slope of the mount nearing the lower mast and the red gondola number 2 was nearing an upper mast, When the hauling rope broke the lower red gondola rolled down and slammed on the wall of the lower station injuring people, the upper gondola rolled down generating higher speed (brakes didn't work), on reaching the lower cable car support mast it struck the broken hauling rope and mast which tore a gondola apart the collision was so strong that track cable fell off the mast dangling the cut open gondola above the rooftops and caused people to fall from 20 metres of height onto rooftops and ground, at least 20 were killed and 15 injured after jumping from the accelerating gondola. Most of them were children celebrating Children's Day. [2][3][4]

In 1989 the cable car was reconstructed, lower mast was changed and two short upper masts were cut off on which gondolas used to have slight angle and instead one high mast was installed causing the new gondolas to run from the upper station horizontal to the mast and then with a sharp angle head down (causing a feeling of a sudden fall in abyss). The standard oval Soviet gondolas were changed with bigger rectangular ones. The brake system of new gondolas were not operating properly but the fact was left without mayor precaution.

The aerial tramway was never restored, in 2015 upper station and both supporting mast were dismantled due to planned restoration of the tramway as a reversible Gondola cable car from slightly moved lower station, but the upper station location remained the same. The old lower station due to its unique architecture is a cultural heritage object. The plans were soon abolished due to population opposition and visual flaws of the new lower station on one of the main squares of the city in front of Radisson Hotel, as well as the oversized five supporting masts, two of them being located on hilly streets causing already narrow streets to get even reduce in width. Instead the restoration of the old cable car as an aerial tramway is planned.

As of September 2016 aerial tramway is under construction. The work is carried out by Doppelmayr Garaventa Group.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tbilisi Ropeways. Civil Georgia. 2012.
  2. ↑ Cable car break kills 20 at Soviet Union tourist site. Star-News. June 2, 1990.
  3. ↑ Soviet tram falls. San Jose Mercury News, June 2, 1990.
  4. ↑ 20 feared dead in tram crash. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 2, 1990.
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