MR150 MELINDA

In Val di Non, Trentino, an innovative transport and logistics concept was realized in the form of the world’s first apple ropeway. The system, a monocable uni-directional ropeway, links the processing center in Predaia over a total distance of 1.3 kilometers with the underground cooling cavities left by mining activity at the Rio Maggiore mine. It negotiates an altitude difference of 84 meters across 11 towers and has the capacity to transport up to 460 containers per hour. The continuous and automated flow of goods makes for an efficient connection to the storage infrastructure. One key part of the solution is the use of a former dolomite mining tunnel, through which apples are transported directly to a naturally air-conditioned cooling system. This saves around 30% in electricity compared to a conventional cooling warehouse. Electric shutters on the cabins as well as an integrated freight elevator ensure that the loading and unloading processes are almost completely automatic and operations can be supervised by just one sole employee. The ropeway, which was partially funded by the Next Generation EU program, replaces some 5,000 truck journeys per year, significantly reducing the carbon impact on the valley.