The first urban cable car has been put into service in the Île-de-France region, near Paris. The cable car, reportedly the longest urban cable car in Europe, connects the Pointe-du-Lac stop in Créteil to the Villa-Nova stop in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges in 18 minutes, compared with around 40 minutes by bus or car.
The C1 is expected to carry 11,000 passengers daily over 4.5 km, connecting the remote neighborhoods of these municipalities and disadvantaged districts to line 8 of the Paris metro, making commuting much easier.
Efficient, fast, and sustainable
“It’s like the Alps on the Marne,” said Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France regional council, at the inauguration of this unique project. The new C1 cable car is not only an attempt to integrate this form of air transport into the urban public transport network but also an alternative to the often congested roads and regular public transport in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris.
Electric cable cars are increasingly recognized as an efficient, fast, and sustainable means of transport in densely populated urban areas. Moreover, the cost is significantly lower than that of an underground metro.
For example, C1 cost 138 million euros, while an underground metro for this route would have cost more than 1 billion euros. The cable car was financed by a combination of regional (49%), departmental (30%), national, and EU funds (21%).
105 cabins
The cable car has 105 cabins, each equipped with surveillance cameras, and each can carry ten passengers. It is open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (00:30 on Saturdays and Sundays). It runs every 22 to 30 seconds and can also carry bicycles and wheelchairs. The system also includes audible signals and visual aids for visually impaired users.
It is operated by Transdev, which operated TransMiCable, the first urban cable car system in Bogotá, for five years (2019–2023).
It is France’s fifth urban cable car system, after those in Brest, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, Toulouse, and Ajaccio (Corsica) – the seventh if you include Grenoble and Toulon, where the aerial transport systems are mainly for tourist use.
Although primarily a public transport service, the C1 also offers panoramic views of the city and surrounding areas. This makes it attractive to tourists, not only as a means of transport but also as a kind of sightseeing experience.
The Paris region is already investigating other possible routes for future cable cars.
