Thames Cable Car Opens a Month Ahead of the Games

LONDON, ENGLAND, June 27, 2012 (Press-News.org) The new GBP60 million Thames cable car spanning the river from the O2 Arena in Greenwich to the ExCeL Exhibition Centre opens at midday on Thursday 28th June. Sponsored by the Dubai-based airline Emirates, the Thames cable car will carry up to 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction (the equivalent of 50 buses) and will be accessible with an ever-trusty Oyster Card before, during and after the London Olympics.

A single adult pay-as-you-go Oyster fare will cost GBP3.20 while the cash fare will be GBP4.30, Transport for London (TfL) said. Children under the age of five will be entitled to free travel, but a cash ticket for those aged 15 or under will cost GBP2.20 (GBP1.60 for those using Oyster cards). A non-stop round trip will cost GBP6.40 with Oyster.

The service will operate through the week from 7am until 9pm. Gates will open an hour later on Saturdays while the service will run from 9am on Sundays. Those planning to use the Thames cable car regularly will be able to make 10 single journeys for GBP16 using a "frequent flyer" pass, according to TfL.

The opening of the Emirates AirLine one month ahead of the London Olympics marks a successful turnaround for Mayor Boris Johnson, who backed the Thames cable car project right from its fruition. Despite initial setbacks and fears that the project would not be ready in time for the Games, the early opening means tourists and spectators during the London Olympics will be able to travel both easily and exhilaratingly between key Olympic venues around the River Zone.

North Greenwich Arena (The O2) will host the London 2012 gymnastic, trampoline and basketball events, while the ExCeL Centre will be home to the Olympic boxing, fencing, table tennis, martial arts and wrestling events, plus a whole hosts of Paralympic events. The cable car - similar to New York's Roosevelt Island Tramway, the Cologne Cable Car and the Caracas Aerial Tramway - will also help link both the Tube and London River Services to the Docklands Light Railway.

As high as the tallest part of the former Millennium Dome, the cable car project (which cost GBP45m to construct) should become as much a part of London's fabled skyline as the London Eye, another airline-sponsored means of leisurely transportation.

Every 30 seconds a gondola will take passengers soaring 160 feet above the Thames on a five-minute, one-kilometre journey that will open up unprecedented views over the Olympic Park, London Docklands, Canary Wharf, the Thames Barrier and the centre of London.

The Emirates AirLine is part of a strong portfolio of transport options available to spectators during the London Olympics, including the special high-speed Javelin train service which links King's Cross St Pancras station to the Olympic Park in less than seven minutes. For more information on the Thames cable car please visit LondonTown.com's comprehensive guide to the London Olympics.

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