Cableways Impact Assessment Study - Final Report - saferail.nl

Risk & Policy Analysts
One example of a novel cableway system which arguably has a dual function is
provided by the Wieli system manufactured by the German company Josef Wiegand
GmbH & Co. KG (see Box 5.1 for a brief description of this system). A recent
Opinion of the Standing Committee for Cableways Directive 23 , which deals with the
Wieli system and other similar products, states that the Wieli system, when used (in
winter, for example) to transport people up a slope to carry out other activities, cannot
be considered as an installation purely intended for leisure purposes and it is therefore
subject to the Cableways Directive. As such, it would appear reasonable for the
baseline scenario in this study to treat the Wieli system as already being within the
scope of the Cableways Directive. However, according to Josef Wiegand GmbH &
Co. KG, it should not be assumed that the Wieli system is already covered by the
Cableways Directive, even after the Opinion of the Standing Committee for
Cableways Directive. 24 In the absence of further information on the implementation
of the Opinion of the Standing Committee for Cableways Directive, for the purposes
of this study the Wieli system is modelled as being subject to the Cableways Directive
under the baseline scenario. 25 As a result, the merits and impacts of the inclusion of
this particular installation into the Directive are not discussed in this report (although
Box 5.1 provides some information on the magnitude of impacts that might be
associated with the inclusion of the Wieli system into the scope of the Directive).
Box 5.1: The Wieli System
The Wieli system consists of ‘transporters’ or vehicles which are driven uphill on tracks and wheels
by a cable. Passengers are able to alight at intermediate stations (such as at the top of a hill) where
they can undertake other activities such as skiing, snowboarding, tubing and tobogganing. Passengers
can remain in the vehicles or can return to the vehicle to be transported back to the starting point by
force of gravity. The systems also appear to have different uses in summer and winter with it being
used as a means of transport for skiers etc. in winter and more as an amusement ride in summer.
Therefore, the system may be classified as having a dual (transport and amusement) function.
Josef Wiegand GmbH & Co. KG is an SME with approximately 200 employees. According to Josef
Wiegand GmbH & Co. KG, there are five Wieli installations in Europe, with the company currently
developing two more and the market potential for additional installations.
According to Josef Wiegand GmbH & Co. KG, the cost of approval of the Wieli system in
accordance with the Cableways Directive can be estimated at around €70,000 (it is not clear to what
extent these are one-off or recurring costs), while approval of another Wieli installation under other
requirements is estimated to be associated with costs in the region of €6,000.
Sources: Personal communication with Josef Wiegand GmbH & Co. KG, August 2012 and
http://www.wiegandslide.com/wieli-transport-system.html
23
24
25
Opinion of the Standing Committee for Cableways Directive 2000/9/EC on the Wieli system and other
similar products (to be annexed to the Minutes of the X Standing Committee meeting of 24/03/2011,
following the consensus expressed by the Committee members at the XI Standing Committee meeting
of 13/03/2012)
The company (Josef Wiegand GmbH & Co. KG) stated that it is currently in the process of developing
two Wieli installations in two different jurisdictions, one of which is being treated by the relevant
public authorities as being subject to the Cableways Directive while the other is seen as falling outside
its scope.
Please note that this should not be construed as the consultants expressing an opinion on whether the
Wieli system is now unambiguously included into the scope of the Directive.
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