Cableway Installations Regulation (EU) 2016/424
Regulation (EU) 2016/424 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on cableway installations — the "Cableway Installations Regulation" — replaced Directive 2000/9/EC and has applied since 21 April 2018. It covers cableway installations (cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts, funicular railways, ski tows) designed to transport persons, together with their subsystems and safety components. The Regulation distinguishes the installation itself (whose construction and operation are supervised under national law) from the subsystems and safety components placed on the market, which carry CE marking. Published as OJ L 81, 31.3.2016, p. 1.
Legal status and timeline
- Adoption: 9 March 2016.
- Date of application: 21 April 2018.
- Repeal of Directive 2000/9/EC: 21 April 2018.
- Transition (Article 46), now over: products conforming to Directive 2000/9/EC could be placed on the market until 21 April 2018; for safety components, certificates and approval decisions under that Directive are valid under the Regulation.
- Status (October 2026): applies, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/2748 (emergency procedures for an internal market emergency, applicable from 29 May 2026).
Scope: products covered
Article 2(1) applies to new cableway installations designed to transport persons, to modifications of cableway installations requiring a new authorisation, and to subsystems and safety components for cableway installations. Article 3(1) defines "cableway installation" as a "whole on-site system, consisting of infrastructure and subsystems, which is designed, constructed, assembled and put into service with the objective of transporting persons, where the traction is provided by cables positioned along the line of travel".
Types of installations
- Funicular railways and other installations where the vehicles are carried on wheels or on other supporting devices and are moved by means of one or more cables;
- Aerial ropeways (gondola lifts, detachable and fixed-grip chairlifts) including those serving ski lifts, where the carriers are suspended from and propelled by one or more cables;
- Drag lifts where users with appropriate equipment are drawn along a prepared track by means of a cable.
Exclusions (Article 2(2))
- Lifts covered by Directive 2014/33/EU;
- Historic, cultural or heritage installations that entered into service before 1 January 1986, are still in operation and have not undergone significant changes in design or construction;
- Installations intended for agricultural or forestry purposes;
- Cableway installations serving mountain shelters and huts intended only for the transport of goods and specifically designated persons;
- On-site or mobile equipment designed exclusively for leisure and amusement purposes and not as a means of transporting persons;
- Mining installations or other industrial on-site installations used for industrial activities;
- Installations in which the users or their carriers are waterborne.
The two CE-marked products
The Regulation provides for CE marking of two distinct categories of products:
- Subsystems (Annex I) — cable and cable connections, drives and brakes, mechanical equipment (cable winding, station equipment, line structures), vehicles (cabins, seats or drag devices, suspension gear, driving gear, connections to the cable), electrotechnical devices (monitoring, control and safety devices; communication and information equipment; lightning protection equipment), and fixed and mobile rescue equipment.
- Safety components — any component of equipment or device intended to be incorporated into a subsystem or cableway installation to ensure a safety function, the failure of which endangers the safety or health of passengers, operating personnel or third parties (Article 3(4)).
The installation as a whole is not CE-marked. Its construction and entry into service are authorised under procedures laid down by the Member State concerned (Article 9), on the basis of the safety report, the EU Declarations of Conformity of the subsystems and safety components and the installation documentation.
Essential requirements (Annex II)
Annex II sets the essential requirements: general (objectives, hypotheses, safety considerations); infrastructure (planning, vegetation, mechanical resistance); cables, drive units and brakes; mechanical equipment; passenger carriers; control devices; rescue arrangements; signage and information; operability and maintainability; environmental considerations.
Safety analysis
Article 8 requires the person responsible for the cableway installation, determined under national law, to carry out a safety analysis of each planned installation, taking account of all envisaged modes of operation. The safety analysis draws up the inventory of risks and dangerous situations, recommends measures to deal with them and determines the list of subsystems and safety components to be incorporated (Article 8(4)); its result is included in a "safety report" (Article 8(5)), which is submitted to the national authority as part of the authorisation procedure (Article 9(2)).
Conformity assessment procedures
Article 18 and Annexes III to VII provide the routes for subsystems and safety components, at the manufacturer's choice:
- Module B (EU type-examination, production type) +
- Module D (production QA) or Module F (product verification);
- Module G (unit verification);
- Module H1 (full quality assurance with design examination).
Notified Body involvement is mandatory throughout. An EU-type examination certificate may be valid for up to 30 years (Annex III). The four-digit identification number of the Notified Body involved in the production control phase appears next to the CE marking on both subsystems and safety components (Article 21(3)). To check a number, see CE number lookup.
Worked example
For a new detachable chairlift, the person responsible under national law commissions the safety analysis. The analysis identifies the risks and fixes the list of subsystems and safety components. Each manufacturer then has its subsystem or safety component assessed, for example a cable connection under Module B + D, and issues an EU declaration of conformity. The person responsible submits the safety report, the declarations and the installation documentation to the national authority, which decides on authorisation (Article 9). The stations and foundations are infrastructure built on site, so they are not CE marked.
Technical documentation
Annex VIII sets the contents for both subsystems and safety components. Retention: 30 years after the subsystem or safety component has been placed on the market (Article 11(3)) — much longer than the usual 10 years. See technical documentation.
EU Declaration of Conformity
Article 19 and Annex IX. Separate Declarations are issued for each subsystem and safety component placed on the market. See EU Declaration of Conformity.
Marking and labelling
Article 21 requires the CE marking with the Notified Body identification number on subsystems and safety components. The complete cableway installation does not bear a CE mark; it is identified by its operating authorisation issued under national law.
Harmonised standards
EN 1908 — safety requirements for cableway installations designed to carry persons — tensioning devices; EN 1709 — operational pre-commissioning, maintenance, and operational checks; EN 12397 — operation; EN 12927 series — ropes (calculations, fitting and replacement, fixing). See harmonised standards.
Recent and upcoming changes
The only amendment recorded in the consolidated text is Regulation (EU) 2024/2748, which adds emergency procedures that operate only when an internal market emergency is activated (applicable from 29 May 2026).
Related legislation
- Lifts Directive 2014/33/EU — covers lifts in buildings; cableways are excluded from the Lifts Directive.
- Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 — a separate regime; check its definitions for any product that is not a subsystem or safety component of a cableway installation.
- Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU and EMC Directive 2014/30/EU — apply in parallel for electrical aspects of subsystems.
Common errors
- CE marking the entire installation. CE marking applies to subsystems and safety components, not to the installation as a whole.
- Missing safety analysis or safety report. Article 8 requires both, and Article 9(2) requires the report to be submitted to the national authority.
- Subsystem placed on the market without Notified Body involvement. Notified Body assessment is mandatory for all subsystems and safety components in scope.
Frequently asked questions
Does a complete cable car carry a CE mark?
No. Only subsystems and safety components carry the CE marking. The Member State authorises construction and entry into service of the installation under its own procedures (Article 9).
Which installations are outside the Regulation?
Article 2(2) excludes lifts covered by Directive 2014/33/EU, qualifying historic installations in service before 1 January 1986, agricultural and forestry installations, cableways serving mountain shelters only for goods and designated persons, leisure equipment not meant to transport persons, mining and industrial installations, and waterborne installations.
Who carries out the safety analysis?
The person responsible for the cableway installation, determined by the Member State under national law. That person may have it carried out by others (Article 8(1)).
How long must cableway documents be kept?
Manufacturers keep the technical documentation and EU declaration of conformity for 30 years after the subsystem or safety component has been placed on the market (Article 11(3)).
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2016/424 (Cableway Installations) — EUR-Lex consolidated text.
- Directive 2000/9/EC (predecessor) — EUR-Lex.
- European Commission — Cableway installations sector page.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/2748 — EUR-Lex.
- Commission Notice — Blue Guide 2022 — EUR-Lex.