Extraordinary Maintenance of the GRAN SASSO Cable Car
The extraordinary maintenance work for the replacement of the 4 carrying ropes of the bi-cable “Fonte Cerreto – Campo Imperatore” cable car, located in the Municipality of L’Aquila, was successfully completed in July 2025. The project, carried out by GRAFFER Srl, formed part of the necessary regulatory adjustments in compliance with EU Regulation 2016/424 and the applicable technical standards EN12927.
The new ropes, each with a diameter of 57 mm, were manufactured using advanced pre-formed stranded wire technology, offering lower tension, greater wear resistance, targeted lubrication, and full traceability via copper wires and integrated visual markers. The scope of work also included the supply of anchoring materials, coil protection during transport and installation, preparation of the operation and maintenance manual, and submission of all required documentation for ANSFISA clearance. The project involved exceptional transport and storage of the ropes, high-altitude work site setup, controlled dismantling of the old ropes, and installation of the new ones using 200 kN and 120 kN winches. Activities such as rope pulling, connection, tensioning, and anchoring were followed by magneto-inductive testing, thorough safety inspections, and final testing conducted in the presence of the relevant authorities. The entire intervention was completed ahead of schedule, thanks to optimized logistics and the expertise of highly specialized personnel in ropeway systems and high-altitude operations.
