Maokong Gondola

Maokong Gondola
貓空纜車
Interactive map of Maokong Gondola
Overview
StatusOperational
CharacterTourism
LocationWenshan, Taipei
CountryTaiwan
Coordinates24°59′45″N 121°34′34″E / 24.99594°N 121.57620°E / 24.99594; 121.57620
TerminiTaipei Zoo
Maokong
Elevationlowest:  24.1 metres (79 ft)
highest: 299.3 metres (982 ft)
Connecting linesWenhu line
No. of stations6 (4 passenger stations, 2 angle stations)
Built byPoma
Construction begin
10 November 2005 (2005-11-10)
OpenJuly 4, 2007 (2007-07-04)
Closed1 October 2008 (2008-10-01)
ReopenedMarch 30, 2010 (2010-03-30)
Websitegondola.taipei
Operation
OwnerTaipei City Government
OperatorTaipei Rapid Transit Corporation
No. of carriers147
Carrier capacity8 passengers (regular cabin)
5 passengers (crystal cabin)
Trip duration12 minutes
FareNT$180
Technical features
Aerial lift type
Mono-cable gondola detachable
Line length4.03 kilometres (2.50 mi)
No. of support towers
47
Operating speed6 metres per second (20 ft/s)

The Maokong Gondola (traditional Chinese: 貓空纜車; simplified Chinese: 猫空缆车; pinyin: Māokōng Lǎnchē) is a gondola lift transportation system in Taipei, Taiwan. It is operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation and integrated with its fare system.[1] Opened on 4 July 2007, the Maokong Gondola operates between Taipei Zoo and Maokong over a distance of 4.03 km (2.50 mi) with four stations and two angle stations.[2] The gondola was constructed by the French company Poma.[3]

History

On the first day of operation, a faulty door lock left Mayor Hau Lung-pin and former Mayor Ma Ying-jeou suspended for 10 minutes in mid-air. Later, bad weather also caused operations to shut down a few times. Violent thunderstorms returned the next day and operation was suspended for a few hours.[4]

Local environmental protection groups such as Green Party Taiwan and Homemaker's Union have discouraged people from using the gondola lift. Local residents have complained about excessive noise during operation, increased garbage and the danger of mudslides.[4] Tests conducted by the Environmental Protection Administration and the TCG Department of Environmental Protection showed that noise levels are within regulations. To mitigate environmental damage, construction pillars and excavation were minimized.[4]

At 4:50 p.m. on 21 July 2007, the service on the gondola system was suspended for approximately 2 hours due to a mechanical glitch, trapping 323 people on the cable cars. The evacuation took place from 5:50 p.m. through 6:55 p.m. TRTS personnel reimbursed passengers by giving them NT$1,058 and free tickets worth NT$100 each. The system resumed normal operations at noon the following day.[5]

On 24 July 2007, the service on the gondola system was suspended twice. Service was suspended at noon for around two hours due to a thunderstorm, and again at 3:10 p.m. due to mechanical problems. No passengers were trapped on the gondola cars.[6] Consumers' Foundation, Taiwan recommended that the Maokong Gondola should shut down completely, and only re-open after evaluating and repairing all systems.

On 2 October 2008 the Maokong Gondola was closed pending structural repair after mudslides left a 2.5 meter gap beneath a support pillar.[7]

Rains associated with Typhoon Jangmi caused erosion around a pillar on the Corner 2 Station. As a result, on 1 October 2008 operations of the Gondola were suspended for one month to allow a full safety inspection to be carried out.[8]

On December 1, investigators recommended the relocation of pillar T16, the foundation of which had been eroded by the rainfall of four typhoons and was very unlikely to withstand future earthquakes. Relocating T16 and neighboring pillars took two years.[9][10] The gondola officially resumed service as of 31 March 2010, after relocation of the pillar and passing safety inspections.[11][12]

These and other problems have contributed to the system's consistent financial losses.[13]

Stations

Maokong Gondola Service Center
The boarding area at Taipei Zoo station

The system has four stations for a total trip time of 12 minutes.[14]

Code Station name Platform Elevation (m) Locale Sta. distance (km) Opened date Transfer
Previous Total
Maokong Gondola
1 Taipei Zoo
動物園		 Rotary 24.1 Wenshan Taipei N/a 0.000 2007-7-4 Wenhu line
Circular line
Shenkeng LRT
N/a Angle Station 1
轉角一		 N/a 1.297 N/a N/a
2 Taipei Zoo South
動物園南		 Lateral 95.5 1.297
N/a Angle Station 2
轉角二		 N/a 1.628 N/a
3 Zhinan Temple
指南宮		 Lateral 264.3 2.925
4 Maokong
貓空		 Rotary 299.3 1.108 4.033
Reference: [15]
Corner Two station and National Highway No. 3.

On leaving Zhinan Temple or Maokong Stations, regular and frequent minibus services can ferry visitors to destinations around the Maokong area. Minibus services can also deliver passengers directly back to the Taipei Zoo MRT station.

Fares

Maokong Gondola Route

As of 2025, the standard fare for the Maokong Gondola is NT$180.[16] Fares can be paid by either purchasing the tickets at the stations or using EasyCard or stored-value card. Tourists can also purchase the Maokong Gondola version of the one-day Taipei Pass for unlimited rides on Taipei buses and MRTs, and up to three gondola rides in one day.[17]

Crystal cabins

Since 30 March 2010, thirty cabins have been retrofitted with 48mm thick glass bottoms, each weighing 213 kg.[18] They operate with a service interval of three minutes. The capacity is limited to five persons per cabin. Crystal cabins, also called “Eyes of Maokong Gondola”, have their own waiting queue and a computer managed ticketing system, instructing passengers to enter the queue at a specified time. Currently, the price for taking a crystal cabin is the same as that of regular cabins. The cost of each cabin modification was NT$200,000.

See also

References and notes

  1. ↑ "Chronicles of Maokong Gondola". 2018-06-08. Archived from the original on 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  2. ↑ "Routes and System". 2025-03-05. Archived from the original on 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  3. ↑ William Bishop, Mac (2008-06-19). "A cup of tea, a taste of freedom". Taipei Times.
  4. 1 2 3 Huang, Annie (2007-07-13). "Taipei gondola swings into action". Taiwan Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-07-17.
  5. ↑ Mo, Yan-chih (2007-07-22). "Cable car failure traps hundreds". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  6. ↑ Mo, Yan-chih (2007-07-25). "Maokong Gondola shuts down after malfunction". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  7. ↑ Yan-chih, Mo. "Gondola's ability to withstand earthquake weakened". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  8. ↑ Mo, Yan-chih (2008-10-02). "Maokong Gondola closed for evaluation of erosion". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
  9. ↑ 鑑定報告：貓纜塔柱位崩塌地應遷-Yahoo!奇摩新聞. Archived from the original on 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  10. ↑ "FEATURE: Halted gondola confirms worries". Taipei Time. October 14, 2008. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  11. ↑ Ling, Ko-Shu (2010-03-03). "Taipei City set to reopen Maokong cable car system". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 2010-03-06. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  12. ↑ The China Post News Staff (2010-03-31). "Maokong Gondola reopens, featuring glass-bottomed car". The China Post. Archived from the original on 2010-04-02. Retrieved 2010-04-03.
  13. ↑ "As losses mount, Maokong Gondola trying to get back on track". Focus Taiwan News Channel. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  14. ↑ "Maokong Gondola Lift and Taipei Zoo". Poma. Archived from the original on 2025-01-17. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  15. ↑ "Routes and System". Taipei Metro Recreation (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  16. ↑ "Maokong Gondola Website". Maokong Gondola. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  17. ↑ Press Release (Chinese only) (2007-07-02). "With Maokong Gondola in service, lots of smart card choices for you". Taipei Smart Card Corporation. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  18. ↑ "Maokong Gondola ─ Crystal Cabins". gondola.trtc.com.tw. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
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