That moment, a real story from the cable car's inaugural trip on April 14, 2023 — is exactly why this technology matters in Nepal.

You board a gondola in Gaindakot, Nawalpur  and within 5 minutes you're at the Maulakalika Temple. But who or what is silently making sure you get there safely?

Imagine you are a 100-year-old grandmother from Gaindakot Ward No. 6. You have wanted to visit the Maulakalika Temple your entire life, but the steep hill always made it impossible. Then on Nepali New Year 2080 BS, you become one of the very first passengers on the newly opened Maulakali Cable Car, gliding 561 metres above ground over 1.2 kilometres in just five minutes.

That moment, a real story from the cable car's inaugural trip on April 14, 2023 — is exactly why this technology matters in Nepal. Built by IME Group and operated by Maulakali Cablecar Pvt Ltd, the Maulakali Cable Car in Gaindakot Municipality, Nawalpur District, Gandaki Province, is one of Nepal's newest and most modern ropeway systems. It has 6 towers, 12 gondolas, each carrying up to 8 passengers, and runs daily taking devotees and tourists to the sacred Maulakalika Temple.

But here is what most passengers never think about: What is silently working behind the scenes to make every single trip safe? The answer is a Programmable Logic Controller, the PLC. As an electrical engineer who works on these systems, I want to take you inside the control room and explain how this technology protects every person who steps into a gondola.

What Happens When NEA Power Cuts? (Very Common in Nepal)

Anyone who has lived in Nepal knows that sudden load shedding and power cuts are a reality. For a cable car with passengers mid-ride, a power cut sounds terrifying. But the engineering accounts for exactly this scenario.

Here is what happens during a power failure at Maulakali:

The moment NEA supply is lost, a 24VDC UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) connected to a station battery bank instantly takes over. This battery keeps the PLC, sensors, safety relays, and communication systems alive — there is no interruption to the brain of the system.

Within 3 seconds, the PLC detects that mains power has failed and sends an automatic start command to the diesel generator. The genset which is always fuelled and on standby cranks up, reaches stable voltage and frequency, and the automatic transfer switch (ATS) connects it to the system. Then within 1min 40 second of time the cable car continues operating, bringing any mid-ride gondolas safely to the nearest station.

The entire power-cut-to-generator sequence is fully automatic. No human action is required. Even if the power cuts at midnight with no staff present, the system manages itself. A standby generator automatically supplies backup power during outages, ensuring continuous and reliable operation.