A cable car service is being rolled out in Kathmandu Valley for the very first time by the beginning of 2016, as the developer has said that they have completed 75 per cent of the works of Chandragiri Cable Car Project (CCCP). The project is being developed by a privately-owned company — Kathmandu Fun Park Ltd.Since the construction of the project commenced 15 months ago, the developer has completed building the top station, bottom station and foundations of the towers so far.

The site development and tower and cable erection are projected to take another three months, as per Dilip Shrestha, project manager of CCCP.Earlier, we had planned to commence operation by October this year, but the launch date had to be postponed due to the devastating earthquake in April and subsequent powerful aftershocks,” Shrestha explained, adding the company is planning to test the operation by October but the commercial operation will only begin by January 2016.“The foundations of all 11 towers have been laid and construction materials for the towers have also been delivered by helicopters in different tower stations, where the track has not been developed,” said Shrestha.

As per him, the project has also taken bio-engineering techniques into consideration for eco-friendly development. Altogether 300 labourers are involved in the project.The total project cost of the CCCP is expected to hover around Rs 3.36 billion, which is financed by 50 per cent debt and 50 per cent equity investment. The project is financed by a consortium of seven commercial banks of the country.

CCCP was forced to halt construction work for a month after the devastating earthquake of April 25.Altogether 11 towers will be erected for the 2.5 kilometre-long cable car from Godam (Thankot) to Chandragiri hill. The cable car has a capacity to serve 1,000 people in one hour and will be operated for at least 12 hours a day.

More interestingly, the distance between tower seven to eight is about 900 metres, which is one of the longest distances between towers and will be a thrilling experience for cable car ride