SK (people mover)
Encyclopedia
The SK is a people mover
built by the company Soulé from Bagnères-de-Bigorre
. The acronym SK comes from the initials of the production company (Soulé) and of the designer (Kermadec).
The system is based on small cabins which are circulating on rails and are pulled by a cable at a constant speed. This is directly derived from the gondola lift
assemblies which are already produced by the Soulé company and which are working in many ski resort
s.
A system of holding mechanism allows to reduce the speed or to halt the cabins in the stations. This technique only works on short lines ; its inability to work on long or curved lines with lots of stops is due to risk of losing the cable and lack of stability at normal speed.
People mover
A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
built by the company Soulé from Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Bagnères-de-Bigorre is a French commune in the south-western Hautes-Pyrénées department, of which it is a sub-prefecture.-Notable people:Bagnères-de-Bigorre was the birthplace of:*Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke...
. The acronym SK comes from the initials of the production company (Soulé) and of the designer (Kermadec).
The system is based on small cabins which are circulating on rails and are pulled by a cable at a constant speed. This is directly derived from the gondola lift
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
assemblies which are already produced by the Soulé company and which are working in many ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s.
A system of holding mechanism allows to reduce the speed or to halt the cabins in the stations. This technique only works on short lines ; its inability to work on long or curved lines with lots of stops is due to risk of losing the cable and lack of stability at normal speed.
- One line of SK is serving the parking lot of the exhibition grounds of VillepinteVillepinte, Seine-Saint-DenisVillepinte is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Heraldry:-Transport:Villepinte is served by three stations on Paris RER line B: Villepinte, Parc des Expositions, and Vert-Galant....
.
- One line of SK was built in Noisy-le-GrandNoisy-le-GrandNoisy-le-Grand is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The commune of Noisy-le-Grand is part of the sector of Porte de Paris, one of the four sectors of the "new town" of Marne-la-Vallée.-Name:...
but the housing complex it was supposed to serve was never built and therefore the line was cocoooned, waiting to be opened in the future.
- Two lines of SK 6000 have been built in Charles de Gaulle International AirportCharles de Gaulle International AirportParis-Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport , in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's largest airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle , leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic...
. The first line was supposed to be opened on May 1, 1996, but the length of the line (3500 m) was creating many technical problems making it impossible to open it for public service. The line 2 should have opened in 1997, but it was never opened either. Never put into operation, this last project had a cost of 148 millions euros. It was replaced by CDGVALCDGVALCDGVAL is a free automatic shuttle rail service at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport consisting in two lines : a first line which opened on 4 April 2007 and a second on 27 June 2007...
.
- One line of SK 6000 is servicing in Shanghaï since 2001.