LEITNER Marks One Million Rides with the Ropeway at IGA Berlin 2017

Berlin’s first gondola lift at the International Garden Show is in operation since April 13, 2017. This week, LEITNER has counted the millionth ride at the turnstiles of the installation. The millionth passenger, Claudia Blaurock from Dresden, has been surprised by Michael Tanzer (managing director Seilbahn Berlin) and Katharina Lohmann (managing director IGA) with a book about the IGA, vouchers for the bobsleigh run as well as a bouquet of flowers.

Immediately after the opening of the IGA Berlin 2017 the ropeway has been a magnet for the public. The spacious cabins offer sufficient space and comfort for families with strollers as well as passengers with wheel chairs. Furthermore, a ride with the ropeway offers an amazing view from above on the parkland.

The ride starts from Kienbergpark to the peak of the Kienberg down to the so called “Gärten der Welt” and has a length of 1,5 kilometers. There are three stations on the line where the turnstiles count the rides. The ticket for the International Garden Show includes the tickets for the ropeway.

The detachable 10-passenger monocable gondola lift was built with 65 cabins, six of which have glass floors for a spectacular bird’s eye view of the exhibition. Besides the three station buildings — the Kienbergpark station at the “Kienberg — Gärten der Welt” subway station, the “Wolkenhain” midway station at the peak of Kienberg Hill and the “Gärten der Welt” station at the IGA main entrance on Blumberger Damm — only six support towers were built. Overall, 3,000 passengers can be transported per hour and direction, with a travel time of just 4.5 minutes. LEITNER ropeways focused on the special architectural and particularly “natural” design of the stations, expressed among other things in the living roofs.

Important local transport connection for the future

The ropeway will continue to impact Berlin’s local transport after 2017. In particular, it optimizes the connection between the districts of Marzahn and Hellersdorf, making it an important part of the public transport route towards the city center. To make the ropeway even more attractive, the Berlin public transport company is renovating the “Neue Grottkauer Straße” subway station at the eastern entryway to the ropeway. As of the timetable change in December 2016, the station was also renamed “Kienberg —  Gärten der Welt” to honor the IGA.