NOTN- Goldbelt Inc. will not reopen the Goldbelt Tram until a full round of safety testing and recertification is complete following an April 30 mechanical incident that injured several employees, the company’s president and CEO said.
McHugh Pierre said an internal investigation found “an operational event” triggered the tram’s emergency stop system, causing both cars to contact infrastructure near the lower terminal and skybridge.
“I want to make sure that everybody knows that safety is the core component at the Goldbelt Tram, and at all Goldbelt operations.” Said Pierre, “We take events like what happened April 30th at the tram very seriously, and so we’ve completed a rigorous investigation. We’ve identified an operational event that occurred that triggered the emergency stop system at the tram, and because of the proximity of where the cars were to the lower terminal in the sky bridge, each one of those cars made contact with that infrastructure. We are going through very serious testing and evaluation of all of our equipment before we reopen to make sure that we continue to stay focused, and have a very clear mandate on safety across all of our systems.”
Pierre said the tram, which is marking its 30th year of operation, undergoes rigorous annual inspections before each season, including non-destructive testing of welds on aluminum and steel for stress fractures, and evaluation of the haul and tow cables. The manufacturer also participates in reviewing the electric and diesel motor systems.
Because of the April incident, the full inspection is being repeated.
“We will go through it before we reopen this summer, and there’s been some confusion, and I understand, you know, people are looking for some answers. We will reopen when we are safe and certified to reopen.” Pierre said.
All season pass holders have been refunded but will still receive their usual benefits once the tram resumes service.
“I’m committed to being the first person to ride a tram car up the mountain,” he said, adding he wants to personally demonstrate the system’s safety and reliability, “I want to make sure that I can personally demonstrate the certainty that our loyal local customers have, and our visiting customers have as well.”
