Doppelmayr snatches Sochi cable car order

A leading Austrian transportation systems producer will build the world’s longest cable car at a Russian holiday hotspot.Doppelmayr Holding AG (Doppelmayr) said today (Weds) it was contracted to set up a 5.4-kilometre connection between the Laura ski resort and Krasnaya Poljana near Sochi where the 2014 Winter Olympics will take place.The Wolfurt-based company, which is the global market leader for ski lifts, said construction activities will start this May. It explained the new cable car connection – the longest of its kind in the world – will be an important part of the region’s transportation infrastructure since it will bring 3,000 people per hour to the locations of the Olympic Games’ Nordic skiing competitions such as cross-country skiing and ski-jumping.Doppelmayr CEO Michael Doppelmayr said last month he was “very satisfied” with the 2009/2010 business year when the firm’s turnover edged down from 615.7 to 603.2 million Euros.The businessman admitted his company had been affected by the effects of the recession but “did well”. He announced: “We lowered investments and handled the situation well.”Doppelmayr has 2,600 employees. More than 80 per cent of its turnover is generated by orders from ski resorts and businesses linked to the winter sport industry.