Preparation for Competitive Bidding Among Gondola Cabin Manufacturers Including Sigongsa
Foma vs Doppelmayr... Selecting the Company Suitable for Namsan
The Facilities Corporation to Establish an Operating System by Forming a TF Team
The Namsan Gondola project in Seoul is gaining momentum. The qualification review for Shindonga Construction, which submitted a sole bid for infrastructure construction, is nearing completion, and the selection of the gondola manufacturer will soon proceed. Seoul City has also decided to form the Namsan Gondola Task Force (TF) to establish the operation system.
According to Seoul City and related industries on the 10th, Shindonga Construction is preparing a competitive bid targeting world-renowned gondola and cable car manufacturers for the production of gondola cabins. Companies such as Poma from France and Doppelmayr from Austria, which manufacture and supply nearly 90% of gondolas and cable cars worldwide, are the targets. The final selection will consider all aspects including the space and distance where the Namsan Gondola will operate, its impact on the surrounding area, and safety.
However, the industry views Poma as having a competitive edge over Doppelmayr. Poma has already been recognized for safety by supplying gondolas to various domestic resorts. These include the Daegu Palgongsan Cable Car, Hongcheon Vivaldi Park Gondola, and Muju Deogyusan Gondola, and some local governments preparing to install gondolas are also negotiating supply agreements with Poma. Seoul City plans to visit domestic sites where the company has produced and supplied gondolas. One such site is Poma’s marine cable car operation in Jebudo, and a Seoul City official explained, "This is to examine eco-friendly factors that align with the purpose of the Namsan Gondola project."
Internally, efforts have begun to establish a system for the smooth operation of the gondola project. Considering the maintenance of the public bus parking lot adjacent to Yejang Park, where the lower station will be located, the Seoul Facilities Corporation under Seoul City, which will be entrusted with operating the Namsan Gondola project, recently finalized plans to form the 'Namsan Gondola Task Force (TF).' This is to build an integrated information system for ticketing, inspection, and reservations after the gondola installation. The organization and staffing scale for smooth future project operation will also be reviewed.
Administrative procedures for groundbreaking are also accelerating, possibly as early as next month. Recently, Seoul City enacted and promulgated the 'Seoul Metropolitan Government Namsan Park Conservation and Use Basic Ordinance,' which includes the basis for using the operating profits of the Namsan Gondola as public funds for the conservation of Namsan’s ecological environment. This measure ensures that profits generated from operating the Namsan Gondola will be used exclusively for Namsan ecological environment conservation projects.
To comprehensively and systematically conserve and manage Namsan Park, it was decided to establish the 'Namsan Park Basic Plan' every five years. This plan includes various projects to be implemented using the operating profits from the Namsan Gondola, such as 'ecological environment conservation' and 'leisure space creation.' Additionally, the pre-qualification review for Shindonga Construction, which submitted the sole bid for the construction, will soon be completed. A Seoul City official stated, "Various measures for the conservation of Namsan’s ecology through the operation of the Namsan Gondola will continue to be discussed," and added, "We will continue efforts to develop it as a representative tourist attraction of Seoul to enhance the city’s competitiveness."
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