Definition

1. Noun:
   • Aerial transportation system: A ropeway is a conveyance system that transports passengers or freight in carriers (such as cabins or gondolas) which are suspended from and moved along a strong cable or series of cables. The system is typically supported by a series of towers or pylons.

Usage

• A ropeway is used for transporting people or goods across difficult terrain, such as over valleys, rivers, or up steep mountain slopes, where building roads or railways is impractical.
• It is a common sight in mountainous tourist areas, ski resorts, and some industrial or mining sites.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The new ropeway to the mountain summit can carry 1,000 passengers per hour.
  • They used a ropeway to transport construction materials across the deep gorge.
  • The old mining ropeway has been converted into a tourist attraction.

Advanced Usage

• "Cable car system" or "Aerial tramway": These are specific types of ropeways. While often used interchangeably in casual conversation, "aerial tramway" typically refers to a system with two large cabins that shuttle back and forth on a fixed cable.
  • The city's iconic aerial tramway, often called a ropeway, offers stunning views of the harbor.

Variants and Related Words

• Cableway (n): Another term for a ropeway, emphasizing the use of cables.
  • The cableway was essential for building the dam.
• Telepherique (n): A French term commonly used in English for a passenger ropeway, especially in European contexts.
  • We took the téléphérique up to the glacier.

Synonyms

• Aerial lift: A general term for any transportation system where cabins are suspended from cables.
• Cable railway: This can be similar but often implies the vehicles are pulled along a track on the ground by a cable, not suspended in the air. It is a related but distinct concept.

Related Phrases

• "To take the ropeway": To use the ropeway as a means of transport.
  • Instead of hiking, we decided to take the ropeway to the top.

Noun

1. a conveyance that transports passengers or freight in carriers suspended from cables and supported by a series of towers