It turns out that this is handled with huge underground counterweights that pull back on the bull wheels and keep the cables at just the right degree of tension. All in all, a pretty nifty piece of engineering.
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After an average of 30 years, cable cars reach the end of their life, although some components such as cables have to be discarded considerably earlier. In some cases, legal requirements demand the removal of installations after just twenty years, so it is a good thing that cable cars have multiple lives.
Gondolas, also known as cable cars, consist of different cabins connected to a thick cable that is constantly circulating between its low and high point. Tramways have two large passenger cabins that shuttle up and down on a fixed moving cable.
Now, the weight limit has been withdrawn and a limit has been put on the number of passengers allowed in a boat. With this new solution, the gondolas are open for all types of passengers and also saved the system the trouble of putting a weight limit. At present, they have 433 gondoliers and 180 substitutes in Venice.
The car travels along the cable on rollers, pulled by a separate cable that does move. At the bottom station the hauling cable is routed around a large motor-driven drum, equipped with a brake. To slow down, the motor stops driving the drum, or in an emergency, the brake is applied.
The price for a gondola tour is 80 euros if you book it before sunset or 100 euro if you want it after and during sunset. The price isn't per person but per gondola, which means that if you're in Venice with your family, it won't be 80 or 100 euros per person but for the entire family.
Good to know: Unless you pre-book a gondola tour, you'll have to pay cash for your gondola ride. So make sure you have enough money on you. Private Venice gondola tours that you can pre-book online are usually more expensive than the official rates.