TL;DR
Silvretta Montafon wants to retire one of its most distinctive lifts. The plan: a single 10-person gondola running direct from Schruns to 1,870 metres, replacing both the two-stage Hochjoch cable car and the 1985 Kropfen chairlift in one move. Capacity jumps from 620 to 3,000 people an hour, and the mid-station transfer disappears entirely. The public hearing lands August 27, 2026 - construction hasn't been confirmed yet, though lift databases are pointing to 2027.
Silvretta Montafon wants to replace one of its most recognisable cable cars, and the plan calls for a single gondola doing the job two lifts currently split between them.
The resort filed a nature conservation permit application at the start of July for a new Hochjoch cable car - a detachable single-cable gondola with 10-person cabins running direct from Schruns to a summit station at 1,870 metres. The system would stretch roughly 3,240 metres and climb more than 1,150 metres in altitude, with a projected ride time of around ten minutes at a top speed of 6 metres per second.
No more swapping gondolas partway up
The current Hochjoch lift runs in two sections. Guests board in Schruns, ride to the Kropfen mid-station at 1,335 metres, then have to change gondolas for the second leg up to Kapell. Four cabins altogether, each holding 54 people, keep that system running. The new gondola does away with the transfer completely - cabins would be in constant circulation, so there's no waiting around for a large gondola to depart, and skiers get a straight run to the top even on the busiest mornings.
