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 Trams from each leg of the Arch carry visitors back and forth. The north leg of the tram was not affected.
"We're absolutely confident the problem has been corrected," said Frank Mares, acting superintendent for the National Park Service office in St. Louis, which operates the Arch and its grounds.
The accident occurred on the steamy night of July 21, when one of nine cables pulling the south tram failed, leaving tourists trapped inside for up to three hours. No one was hurt. Officials said the snapped cable came into contact with an electrified rail, causing the system to blow a fuse.
Some people already at the top of the Arch had to wait about three hours to get out. Those on the tram got out after about two hours in the tiny cars that lack air conditioning.
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 In a typical year, about 1 million visitors make the trek to the top. Mares said the impact of the loss of the tram on the number of visitors and revenue has not been determined.
Each tram in the Arch, a monument to westward expansion, is essentially a train of eight connected round capsules. Each capsule seats five people. A motor pulls cables up as a counterweight drops down. Though each tram system has nine cables, Mares said a single cable is strong enough to support the tram.
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On the Net:
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial: http://www.nps.gov/jeff/
[Associated
Press; By JIM SALTER]
Copyright 2008 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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