Romania’s Sinaia mountain town temporarily closes gondola lift after support tower shifts beyond safety limits

The gondola lift in the popular mountain town of Sinaia has been temporarily closed to passengers after monitoring reports showed significant and progressive movement of one of its support towers, the local authorities announced. Subsequent measurements confirmed that tower 2 on the Cota 1000-Cota 1400 section had shifted beyond safety limits.

Sinaia is one of Romania’s most popular mountain towns, located in Prahova Valley roughly 120 kilometres north of Bucharest.

The initial measurements, taken from reference points fixed to the foundation and structure of the tower, indicated movement toward the north-northeast, the authorities said.

The City Hall and municipal operator Transport Urban Sinaia requested additional measurements of the cable alignment and the suspension of work on a four-star hotel and conference center being built next to the tower.

Mayor Vlad Oprea attributed the tower’s movement to landslides allegedly caused by excavation work at the neighboring construction site.

“The construction of the hotel involved excavations that led to ground instability and changed the position of the tower, including the roller assemblies and the cable,” Oprea said.

According to measurements performed by an authorized company, the angle of the gondola’s carrying-hauling cable was found to be outside safety parameters.

“Unfortunately, for this reason, Sinaia Gondola can no longer operate with passengers,” the mayor added.

The local authorities have thus notified the State Construction Inspectorate, Sinaia Police, and the Prahova Prefecture and convened the Local Committee for Emergency Situations. The beneficiary of the hotel development was also ordered to stop work immediately due to the potential accident risk, the City Hall said.

Officials are consulting gondola manufacturer Doppelmayr to identify a technical solution for correcting the position of the tower. Geological studies, expert assessments, and further measurements are also planned.

“Our absolute priority is to fully remedy the problem as quickly as possible and restart this installation, which is vital to mountain tourism in our town,” Vlad Oprea said.

He added that those found responsible for the damage would face legal consequences.