Cable Car History

The Cable Car has long been a familiar feature of the Gibraltar landscape, and the quickest way to the Top of the Rock

The Top Station of the Cable Car is steeped in history. Many years ago, it was a signal station. It made the perfect look out: on a clear day, you can see for up to 60km - that's 37 miles - from the top of the Rock. From this lookout post, guards used to alert the population to the arrival of ships by firing signal cannon and raising flags. The number of cannon shots fired and type of flags raised varied according to the nationality and type of ship approaching the rock. Cannons were also fired to announce the opening and closing of the City gates at sunrise and sunset, or to signal a fire on the Rock. It was the perfect communications system in the days before modern technology.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the signal station was converted into a gun battery. And during the Second World War it was equipped with anti-aircraft guns. The ammunition for the guns was stored in man-made tunnels that still exist today and extend from beneath what is now the restaurant as far as the North Terrace.

The old military lift ceased operation in 1920, but the enterprising Gibraltarians could see that this wasn’t the end of the Top of the Rock, and it was reborn as a tourist attraction.

The natural beauty of the spot, especially the views made it a perfect destination. Views from the top takes in the Spanish mainland and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada; the African coast from Ceuta to Tangiers, with the Rif and Atlas Mountains behind; the Mediterranean and the Costa del Sol, and the one-and-one-quarter-mile airport runway, half of which juts into the sea.

At midday on March 30th 1966 His Excellency the Governor officially inaugurated the commencement of operations of Bland Aerial Ropeway Ltd, owned by MH Bland & Co Ltd, to the top of the rock. The complex engineering of the cable car had taken since 1964 to complete but the result was the route the cable car still takes to this day.

The Cable Car was completely renovated in March 1986 by Von Roll, Switzerland. The horizontal distance of the track cable is 570 metres with an elevation of 356 metres. The Cable Cars pass over three towers, the first tower being the midway station, and despite its age, it is now run with high tech modern equipment and to excellent safety standards.