Norsjö ropeway, Aerial lift in Norsjö, Sweden.
The Norsjö ropeway is an aerial lift in Västerbotten, Sweden, running between the villages of Örträsk and Mensträsk. Each cabin seats four people, and the one-way trip takes close to two hours at a slow, steady pace above the landscape.
The ropeway opened in 1943 to carry mineral concentrates, including copper, lead, zinc, and silver, out of the mining region. Freight operations stopped in 1987, after which the line was converted to carry passengers along the same route.
The line's name, Linbanan Kristineberg–Boliden, comes from the two mining towns it linked; the surviving 13.6 km stretch ran between Örträsk and Mensträsk. Its 28 four-person cabins were rebuilt from ore buckets, and the ride took about 1.5 hours at 11 km/h. The cables were dismantled in 2021, so only the terminal buildings and land remain in use.
The ropeway was dismantled in 2021, so there is no ride to plan. The former Örträsk and Mensträsk terminal buildings and grounds are still used for tourism; the line's 73 concrete pillars remain in the landscape but cannot be visited as an attraction.
The passenger line was only section IV of the original 96 km ore ropeway, running 13.6 km between Örträsk and Mensträsk. Its 28 four-person cabins, 14 per direction, moved at 11 km/h and took about 1.5 hours one way. The cables were dismantled and scrapped in 2021 after damage was found on the 73 concrete supports.
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