Aerial lifts in India


The aerial lift in India, also known as ropeways or cableways in India, consists of various Cable transport systems such as Aerial tramway, Chairlift, Gondola lift and Material ropeway where cabins, open chairs or containers are hauled above the ground with the help of cables. With 30% of India being mountainous, aerial lifts offer an efficient mode of connectivity in these terrains where roads and railways are otherwise difficult to build.
While historically restricted to hill stations and pilgrimage sites, under the Indian government's Parvatmala Scheme, India envisages spending in public–private partnership mode over five years till 2030 to build 200 new ropeway projects of more than 1200 km length, to decongest the traffic on the narrow roads of big cities where implementation of other modes would pose challenges, in addition to mountainous locations. This article also contains a list of glass bridge skywalks in tourist locations.
Darjeeling Ropeway in West Bengal was India's first ropeway opened in 1968. Rajgir Ropeway in Bihar, a 333m-long chairlift ropeway built in 1960s, is India's first chairlift ropeway. As of 2024, the 4 km-long Auli Ropeway in Uttarakhand is India's longest and the world's second-longest ropeway behind Vietnam's 7,899.9 m long Hòn Thơm cable car, and when completed the under-construction 5.5 km-long Mussoorie-Dehradun Ropeway will be the longest in India. Kashi ropeway is India's first urban ropeway, and world's third urban public transport ropeway behind Bolivia's Mi Teleférico opened in 2014 and Mexico City's Mexicable opened in 2021.
As of 2025, all 36 states and union territories of India have either existing or planned ropeways, except in the UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.

History

The first aerial lifts in India were being built during the 1960s and 1970s, primarily in hill stations and religious sites. Notably, the Darjeeling ropeway was the first modern ropeway built in India. A chairlift ropeway was then built at Rajgir Hills, Bihar as a 'gift' to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Rajgir by the famous Japanese Buddhist monk Fuji Guruji. Political activist Jai Prakash Narayan was the first person to take the ropeway ride.
Since the 2000s, state governments and private operators have developed several ropeways with modern cabins, automated drive systems and higher safety standards. With the announcement of Parvatmala Pariyojana in 2022, the importance and popularity of ropeways has increased. The project was aimed at creating sustainable ropeway infrastructures in both mountainous and urban regions under a Public–private partnership model.

Terminology

Indian aerial lifts use a range of technologies depending on terrain, needs and passenger volume. Cabins on modern systems are typically closed, climate resilient and equipped with CCTV surveillance, emergency communication and automated braking systems.
  • Gondola lift: It consists of a continuously circulating cable, strung between two or more stations over intermediate supporting towers. Mono-cable Detachable Gondola is used for short routes and tourism, Bi-cable and Tri-cable systems span longer, provide additional support and safety during strong winds. Gondola lift is also the most widely used aerial lift system in India, including urban regions. Example: Kashi ropeway.
  • Aerial tramway: It uses one or two stationary cables for support, with a third moving cable for propulsion. The grip is fixed onto the propulsion cable and thus cannot be decoupled during operation. They provide lower capacities and frequencies compared to Gondola lifts. Example: Guwahati ropeway.
  • Chairlift: They are continuously circulating systems carrying chairs, usually designed for skiers to board without removing skiing equipment. Detachable chairlifts usually move faster than fixed-grip chairlifts that enable safe boarding and deboarding. Chairlifts in India are also built in non ski areas. Example: Rajgir ropeway
  • Material ropeway: Material ropeways or Goods ropeways is built for carrying goods rather than passengers. They are usually monocable or bi-cable gondola lifts with containers. Example: Pamulapalli coal ropeway.

    Legalisation

Aerial lift projects in India are regulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards and implemented by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways under its National Highway Logistics Management Limited, which oversees new projects under Parvatmala Pariyojana. The new ropeways are being aligned with Make in India initiative, which mandates at least 50% of indigenous components in construction.

Tourist ropeways

Operational

SystemLocaleTypeLengthOpenedNotes
Ambaji ropewayGabbar Hill, GujaratMonocabled gondola1998Opened windows.
Auli ropewayJoshimath, UttarakhandAerial tramway1993Glass windows.
Bambleshwari Temple ropewayDongargarh, ChattisgarhBi-cabled gondola lift2021Glass windows.
Bhaleydhunga ropewayNamchi district, SikkimMonocable gondola lift2024Glass windows.
Bhatta falls ropewayMussoorie, UttarakhandMonocable gondola lift2019
Bheraghat ropewayBhedaghat, Madhya PradeshMonocable gondola lift2025Glass windows.
Bhopal ropewayMahaveer Giri, Madhya PradeshMonocable gondola liftUnknownGlass windows.
Chandi devi ropewayHaridwar, UttarakhandMonocable gondola lift1997Glass windows.
Chitrakoot ropewayChitrakoot, Madhya PradeshMonocable gondola liftUnknownOpened windows.
Darjeeling RopewayDarjeeling, West BengalMonocable gondola lift1968Glass windows. India's first ropeway.
Dewas ropewayDewas, Madhya PradeshMonocable gondola lift2017Glass windows.
Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple ropewayPalani, Tamil NaduMonocable gondola lift2004Open windows.
Digha ropewayDigha, West BengalMonocable gondola lift2015Glass windows.
Gangtok ropewayGangtok, SikkimMonocable gondola lift2003Glass windows. Plans to convert into urban ropeway.
Girnar ropewayMount Girnar, GujaratMonocable gondola lift2020Glass windows.
Gulmarg GondolaGulmarg, Jammu and KashmirMonocable gondola lift1998Ski resort gondola lift; Glass windows.
Gun Hill ropewayMussoorie, UttarakhandAerial tramway1971Glass windows. India's first aerial tramway.
Hirakud Dam ropewayHirakud, OdishaMonocable gondola liftUnknownGlass windows.
Jammu ropewayJammu, Jammu and KashmirMonocable gondola lift2020Glass windows.
Jakhu Temple ropewayShimla, Himachal PradeshAerial tramway2017Glass windows.
Kailasagiri ropewayVisakhapatnam, Andhra PradeshMonocable gondola lift2004Glass windows.
Kolkata Science City ropewayKolkata, West BengalMonocable gondola lift1998Opened windows.
Laxman Pahadi ropewayChitrakoot district, Uttar PradeshMonocable gondola lift2019Glass windows.
Maa Sharda ropewayMaihar, Madhya PradeshMonocable gondola liftUnknownGlass windows.
Madan Negi ropewaySandana, UttarakhandAerial trmawayUnknownCaged windows.
Marjing Polo Complex ropewayImphal, ManipurMonocable gondola lift2025Glass windows.
Nainital ropewayNainital, UttarakhandAerial tramway1990Glass windows.
Nandankanan ropewayBhubaneswar, OdishaMonocable gondola lift2023Partial glass windows.
Parwanoo ropewayParwanoo Timber Trail, Himachal PradeshAerial tramway1988Partially opened glass windows.
Pavagadh ropewayPavagadh Hill, GujaratMonocable gondola lift1986Glass windows.
Pushkar Savitri Mata Temple ropewayPushkar, RajasthanMonocable gondola lift2015Partially opened glass windows.
Rajgir ropewayRajgir, BiharChairlift1969Single seater. India's first chairlift ropeway.
Saputara ropewaySaputara, GujaratMonocable gondola lift1991Partially opened glass windows.
Shri Naina Devi ropewaySri Naina Devi, Himachal PradeshMonocable gondola lift1997Caged windows.
Srisailam ropewaySrisailam, Andhra PradeshMonocable gondola lift2005Opened windows.
Sundha Mata Temple ropewayJalore district, RajasthanMonocable gondola lift2006Glass windows.
Surkanda Devi ropewaySaklana range, UttarakhandMonocable gondola lift2022Glass windows.
Tara Tarini Mandir ropewayPurushottampur, OdishaMonocable gondola lift2013Glass windows.
Vaishno Devi Temple ropewayKatra, Jammu and KashmirAerial tramway2018Glass windows; Air conditioned