Technical term for a railway that uses a cable for traction, such as a funicular or cable car system.
A cable railway runs up this mountain, so you can easily reach the summit.
More common loanword for a cable car or funicular, used in everyday conversation, while 索条鉄道 is a formal technical term.
Refers to an aerial ropeway (gondola lift), which is suspended in the air, unlike a cable railway that runs on tracks.
Compound of 索条 (cable, rope) and 鉄道 (railway). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is a straightforward technical coinage.