The Namur cable car, back in operation since 20021, has been little used as a soft mobility solution. As a tourist attraction, the cable car over the Sambre toward the 650-meter-high Citadel meets expectations, but as a city transport offer, the figures are disappointing. From 1 September, the city will consequently implement new timetables and prices.

The new cable car or ‘téléphérique’ in the Walloon city of Namur was inaugurated in the spring of 2021 after the cable car was taken out of service for safety reasons in 1997.

Soft mobility

The cable car spans the Sambre from Place Maurice Servais in the historic city center toward the Citadel, good for a 103-meter difference in altitude and a ride of over three minutes.

When it was launched, revenue as a tourist attraction was targeted in the first place. But the city wanted to make the cable car a tool of soft mobility beyond its tourist interest, especially for students and workers living in and around the Citadel.

180 000 passengers

So, there was a special formula for city transport, financially supported by the municipality. Specifically, you could access the infrastructure from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. during the school period, with a special subscription, which cost 85 or 100 euros annually.

Although the overall success of the 12-cabin cable car is well on track (180 000 passengers in 2022), the urban transport offer has not had the expected demand, as an average of 105 passages per day were recorded using the recommended timetable instead of the expected 255.

Moreover, 51% of these passages were made with conventional tickets, compared to 49% through the specific subscription, with almost no passages in the 7:00 -7:30 a.m. and 6:00-6:30 p.m. slots.

Limiting the offer

Therefore, the City of Namur has decided to limit the offer regarding urban mobility to the 7:30-9:30 a.m. time slot during school periods, with the company managing the cable car extending its service to 6:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. in the low season).

From 1 September, the annual ‘Urbi’ pass, valid only in the morning, will cost 30 euros for Namur residents and 40 euros for non-residents. At the same time, the price for the ‘Maxi’ subscription, which gives access to the cable car at any time, will drop from 122 to 75 euros for Namur residents, with an additional 15 euros for non-Namur residents, as is already the case.

The City of Namur’s annual financial contribution is set to fall from around 280 000 to 127 000 euros, with the contract due to run for four years.