The cable car to Sněžka has a building permit

Pec pod Sněžkou (Trutnovsko) - The town hall in Pec pod Sněžkou has obtained a building permit for the construction of a new cable car to the highest Czech mountain, Sněžka. The new line is set to replace the 59-year-old cable car. The start of construction now depends only on whether the town hall can secure a subsidy for the cable car from European Union funds. The investment is expected to cost around 420 million crowns. This was stated today by the mayor of Pec, Alan Tomášek.
    "With the acquisition of the final building permit, the last administrative obstacle to the construction of the cable car has been removed," Tomášek said. The building permit was issued by the Prague Railway Authority. The town hall intends to apply for the EU funds, which are expected to cover up to 85 percent of the costs, by the end of the year. If everything goes smoothly, the construction of the new cable car could start in 2009 or 2010.
    The design of the cable car has been discussed between nature conservationists and the town hall in Pec pod Sněžkou since 1990. The turning point came last year when both parties agreed that the cable car would go all the way to the summit, but the hourly capacity would remain at 250 passengers.
    The new cable car will feature more comfortable four-person cabins instead of the existing open two-seat chairs. Access to the cable car will be improved, as the lower station will be moved closer to the parking lot at the Lesovna lodge. The intermediate station on Růžová hora and the upper station on Sněžka will remain in their current locations.
    Construction workers will have to meet a number of strict conditions, as they will be building in the first, most strictly protected zone of the park. For example, concrete for the pylons will have to be transported only by helicopter, and old pylons will have to be dismantled only with hand tools. Debris will also be transported to the valley by helicopter.
    The administration of the Krkonošsko National Park initially opposed the construction of a new cable car all the way to the top. According to conservationists, the cable car should only go to Růžová hora and people would have to walk to the summit. The last section of the old line would remain in operation. The town hall of Pec started to account for this, but proposed building a new ski slope from Růžohorky to Pec. A breakthrough occurred last year when both parties agreed on a compromise that the cable car would go to the summit, its capacity would remain, and the ski slope would be built elsewhere. The government then granted an exception for the construction of the cable car.
    Around 200,000 tourists use the cable car services each year, of which about half take the ride all the way to Sněžka. The ride from the lower station, located at an altitude of 890 meters, to the upper station at 1,594 meters takes about 25 minutes. The new cable car is expected to complete the journey about ten minutes faster.