European Championships in Birmingham: ROPESYS in action.
Birmingham hosted the European Athletics Championships from August 10 to 16, 2026. It was the first time the European Athletics Championships were held in Great Britain. While athletes competed for medals and personal bests at Alexander Stadium, the Air-Rail Link connecting Birmingham International railway station and the airport was also in daily operation.
The Air-Rail Link from Doppelmayr
The Air-Rail Link connects Birmingham International railway station directly to Birmingham Airport. The system was built by Doppelmayr as a Cable Liner® automated people mover and has been in operation since 2003.
The vehicles reach speeds of up to 32 km/h on the 471-meter-long track. The journey to the terminal takes around 90 seconds. The vehicles are propelled by a traction cable that is barely visible to passengers during the ride.
Keeping an eye on the hauling cable
Magnetic rope testing is used to regularly check the condition of the haul rope. For our client Doppelmayr Cable Car, the haul rope of the Air-Rail Link is inspected once a year.
The ROPESYS R58 rope testing device is used for this inspection. The device examines the wire rope magnetically and provides information on its condition, making it possible to detect internal changes that are not visible from the outside.
Magnetic testing with the ROPESYS R58 rope tester
Magnetic testing enables non-destructive inspection of the haul rope. This makes it possible to obtain information about the condition of the wire rope without interrupting ongoing operations by dismantling it.
Regular inspection is particularly important for a transport system used on a daily basis. This is because the haul rope performs a critical function and—like the other components—must operate reliably.
ROPESYS in international use
The use of the ROPESYS R58 in Birmingham demonstrates the application of magnetic rope testing on a cable-hauled transport system. While visitors to the European Athletics Championships were using the Air-Rail Link, a key component of the system was undergoing regular technical inspections.
This way, the inspection of the haul rope remains invisible to passengers but provides important information about the condition of the steel cable.
ROPESYS – Safety at the highest level. Made by engineers in Germany.
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