Samnaun's Iconic Twinliner Double-Decker Gondola Gets New Cabins for 2026/27

Samnaun's Twinliner - the world's first double-decker aerial tramway - is getting new cabins for the first time in 30 years.

The Twinliner L1 at Samnaun, the Swiss village that forms the second base of the Silvretta Arena Ischgl-Samnaun ski area, will undergo a full cabin replacement during summer 2026. The modernisation covers both cabins, the cable car control system, and the automatic platform doors, with the reopening targeted for the start of the 2026/27 winter season.

The original cabins have been in service since 1995 - making this the first major cabin replacement in the lift's 30-year operating history.

A lift worth knowing about

The Twinliner isn't just another way up the mountain. When it opened, it was the world's first aerial tramway to use double-decker cabins - a configuration that allows each cabin to carry up to 170 passengers across two levels. It runs 2,259 metres from the valley station at 1,778 m up to 2,500 m, covering the elevation in around six minutes at speeds of up to 10 metres per second. Total capacity is 1,530 persons per hour across both cabins.

For visitors approaching the ski area from the Swiss side, the Twinliner is the primary access lift - the equivalent of the main gondola out of town, except it's a 30-year-old double-decker tram that still draws a second look from people who've never ridden one.

What's changing

Beyond the cabin replacement itself, the upgrade includes bringing the control system and automatic platform doors up to current technical standards. Notably, the system is also being configured for future unaccompanied cabin operation - an increasingly common feature in modern ropeway infrastructure that allows cabins to operate without an attendant on board.

During the construction period, the parallel L2 aerial cable car at Samnaun will remain in service to maintain access for both guests and local residents.

Part of a larger investment

The Twinliner upgrade sits within a broader €50 million capital program being executed by Silvrettaseilbahn AG across the 2025 and 2026 summers. The bulk of that investment has gone into three new eight-passenger detachable chairlifts - the Höllbodenbahn C1 and Sassgalunbahn C3, completed in summer 2025, and the Höllkarbahn C2, due to complete alongside the Twinliner works in summer 2026. All three chairlifts are being built with Doppelmayr's AURO autonomous ropeway operation system, the first time that technology has been deployed in the Silvretta Arena.

When the Höllkarbahn C2 opens, the ski area will have six detachable eight-passenger chairlifts in total, pushing overall lift capacity to just over 100,000 persons per hour - one of the highest figures of any ski area in the world.