Jalpadevi Cable Car : Complete Technical Guide

The Jalpadevi Cable Car, Sudurpashchim Province's first cable car, will start commercial operation on 1 January 2027. The line rises 1,005 m from Chisapani on the banks of the Karnali River to the Jalpadevi temple at Rajkanda, with 42 gondolas running at 6 m/s on a 50 mm haul rope, built with LEITNER Ropeways technology from Italy.

For electrical and mechanical engineering students, Jalpadevi is an excellent case study. It has a top drive station, three 250 kW variable frequency drives, a single-cylinder hydraulic tensioning system, external LPA detachable grips and a flexible operating plan that changes the number of cabins on the line with passenger demand.

This guide covers the complete technical data, the drive and electrical system, line and gondola operation, and the project's journey to opening day.

Opening: Commercial operation of the Jalpadevi Cable Car starts on 1 January 2027.

PART 1: Project Overview

PART 2: Technical Data Sheet

PART 3: Line and Gondola Operation

The system has 42 gondolas, but not all of them run at the same time. The number of cabins on the line is matched to passenger demand:

The remaining cabins stay in the station, ready to be added to the line or rotated for maintenance.

Default spacing: At the default spacing of 241 m and a line speed of 6 m/s, a gondola arrives at the station about every 40 seconds (241 m ÷ 6 m/s ≈ 40 s). That is about 90 cabins per hour.

Why a detachable system? On the line, cabins travel at 6 m/s. In the stations, each cabin detaches from the haul rope, slows down for safe boarding and alighting, then re-attaches to the rope and accelerates back to line speed. Passengers get a fast ride on the line and a slow, safe boarding experience in the station.

PART 4: Drive and Electrical System

Station layout

Placing the drive at the top is common for lines with a large vertical rise. The drive bullwheel pulls the loaded uphill side of the rope directly, while the return station at the bottom holds the rope tension.

Power supply chain

Grid supply (NEA)
        ↓
HV/LV transformer
        ↓
Main distribution board (MDB)
    ↙            ↓              ↘
Main drive      Control         Auxiliary
3 × 250 kW VFD  PLC and safety  Lighting, HVAC
AC drive motor  SCADA / HMI     CCTV, intercom
Bullwheel       Communication   Station services
        ↓ (on grid failure)
Standby generators
Top: 1,010 kVA + 250 kVA
Bottom: 125 kVA

Key electrical components

PART 5: Rope, Grip and Line Geometry

Site engineering in the Far-West

• Heat: Lowland summers in Kailali are very hot, so the VFD and control rooms need effective ventilation and cooling.
• Monsoon and lightning: Towers on exposed ridges need strong earthing and lightning protection for the towers, stations and line cables.
• Chure (Siwalik) hills: These young, erosion-prone slopes need deep tower foundations and slope protection.
• Karnali River: The bottom station is designed with the river's flood levels in mind.

PART 6: Journey to Opening Day

PART 7: Facilities and Why It Matters

Bottom station (Chisapani): five-star hotel, casino and banquet hall Top station (Rajkanda): resort, Jalpadevi temple, skywalk, walking trail, restaurant and children's park

• First cable car in Sudurpashchim, bringing ropeway tourism to the Far-West
• Religious tourism to the rebuilt Jalpadevi temple
• Local jobs for operators, electricians, mechanics and hospitality staff
• Chisapani as a destination, giving visitors a reason to stay overnight
• Local income, with 2% of ticket revenue going to the local government

Technical Glossary

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Jalpadevi Cable Car open? Commercial operation starts on 1 January 2027.

Where does it run? From Chisapani (Lamkichuha Municipality-3, Kailali) on the Karnali River to Rajkanda (Mohanyal Rural Municipality-7) and the Jalpadevi temple.

How many gondolas does it have? 42 gondolas in total. Between 18 and 38 run on the line at any time, depending on passenger flow.

How fast is it? The line speed is 6 m/s, and the ride takes about 10 minutes.

How high does it climb? It has a vertical rise of 1,005 m, from about 200 m at Chisapani to about 1,200 m at Rajkanda.

Conclusion

Jalpadevi brings modern LEITNER ropeway engineering to Sudurpashchim: a 1,005 m vertical rise, a top drive station with three 250 kW VFDs, a 50 mm haul rope and 42 gondolas running at 6 m/s. From 1 January 2027, it will carry passengers above the Karnali to the Jalpadevi temple, and it will give the Far-West its first working classroom in ropeway engineering.

The mountains will always need engineers who understand how to make gondolas fly safely. That engineer could be you.