Les Arcs Funicular Railway having major upgrade
Work is continuing to replace to the huge cable that pulls the funicular railway from Bourg St Maurice up to the slopes Les Arcs, a fantastic upgrade which is sure to benefit thousands during their family ski holidays in France next season.
With the cable around 3,000m in length and sporting a combined weight of 60 tonnes, it’s certainly a job easier said than done. The cable is believed to be the biggest of its kind in the whole of France, yet the engineering team are working around the clock to get the work completed in time for the summer.
As part of the task, the workers are having to splice the old and new 7cm-thick cables together and use the hydraulic machine to pull the cable up to Les Arcs 1600. As the new cable reaches the top it has to be cut into sections 150m long and then wound onto reels which are then taken to recycling. Each of the reels are thought to weigh around three tonnes. With the total length of the cable almost 3,000m, it’s easy to see why it’s proving such an arduous job.
A vital service all year round
A service used by thousands of people every day during the peak winter season and summer season for walking and mountain biking, the funicular railway offers a vital link between the village of Bourg St Maurice and the mountain resort of Les Arcs, from which the network of lifts on this famous resort are easily reachable.
Ski trips in France have long been popular with holidaymakers across Europe, with skiing getaways in Meribel, La Plagne and Les Arcs all proving inviting for those seeking the traditional mountain experience. Once the proposed work is complete, it will help Les Arcs stand among the leading ski hotspots in the country for many years to come.
Image Credit: Menno van der Horst (Flickr.com)