16 August 2016

Free rides on Friday as Cable Car returns

The scheduled return to service of Wellington’s Cable Car will be at 7am this Friday 19 August – not Wednesday morning as notified earlier this week.

And to celebrate the return, all trips up and down the hill from Lambton Quay to Kelburn will be free on Friday.

Wellington Cable Car Company Chief Executive Simon Fleisher says the Council and their contractors “just need some extra time to get the essential building work completed, including full building consent sign off”.

In addition to the work that Wellington Cable Car has done on replacing the Cable Car’s electric drive and refurbishing the cars, Wellington City Council has also undertaken significant structural work in Cable Car Lane (including a new overhead canopy) and this has impacted upon the entrance into the terminal building and the ticket kiosk.

“This has been a great project and all of the works will transform not only the Cable Car but the front door into the terminal as well as the Lambton Quay ticket kiosk area. We’re a public transport operation and need to ensure we get things right, and we just need to allow a couple more days to allow this to happen.

“If things go well, we may resume service before Friday – we’ll notify the public via announcements on websites and Facebook (including www.wellingtoncablecar.co.nz , www.wellington.govt.nz, Wellingtonnz.com and www.metlink.org.nz ). A replacement bus service will continue to operate in the meantime.”

A total of $5 million is being spent on the comprehensive overhaul and upgrade of the Cable Cars and of Cable Car Lane. The $3.5 million work on the Cable Cars and the winding and operating system that hauls the vehicles up and down the slope to Kelburn is virtually complete. The $1.5 million upgrade of Cable Car Lane is well advanced – but work will continue until early October and will be completed in time for the ‘cruise ship’ season.

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