Thames Cable Car to Play Key Role in Further Rejuvenation of East London

Thames Cable Car hailed as huge success during Olympics.

2012-09-26

LONDON, ENGLAND, September 26, 2012 (Press-News.org) The resounding success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games owed to an array of different factors, with the convenient and efficient transport links between venues hailed as one of key accomplishments of the summer. One of the more innovative and ultimately triumphant projects was the Thames Cable Car (or Emirates Air Line, to give it its official title), an estimated GBP60million cable car link across the River Thames from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Victoria Docks. Linking north and south London in just five minutes, the cable car ferried hundreds of thousands of passengers between the North Greenwich Arena and the ExCeL Centre, two key venues for the Games.

Transport for London announced plans to develop the UK's first urban cable car system in July 2010 and the public opening took place on the 28th June 2012. Wilkinson Eyre Architects were given the honour of designing the cable car and once planning application had been submitted to and approved by the London Borough of Newham, construction began. Construction firm Mace were the lead contractors for the project and will operate the cable car for the first three years.

Media company News International were planning on a bid to sponsor the project but eventually the Dubai-based airline Emirates were chosen in a 10-year sponsorship deal worth GBP36million that included branding of the cable car. The route was added onto the official London Tube map in June 2012, with Emirates becoming the first sponsor to feature a company logo on the map.

Mayor Boris Johnson introduced the cable car to the city and to the world just weeks before the Olympics took place and was amongst the first to enjoy the panoramic views provided by the height of the cable. The City, Canary Wharf, Greenwich, the Thames barrier and the Olympic Park are just some of the immediate sights that are available to passengers as they soar across the Thames.

The cable car is not without criticism and controversy. Passengers were left suspended in the air for almost an hour after a technical fault just before the opening weekend of the Olympics - they were greeted with apologies and bottled water once they had landed. And some have criticised the cable car, dismissing its value as a practical transport method. Some believe it will only appeal to tourists at peak times during the year and not to the everyday commuter, due to its location and cost.

The cable car has a cable span of 1,100 metres and is supported by three sky-high pylons. Passengers will cross the river at a height of 90 metres (300ft) and can carry up to 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction. There are 34 separate gondolas in operation and each have a maximum capacity of 10 passengers.

Now that the Games are over, the cable car will become a part of the wider legacy of London 2012 and reached one million passengers in September 2012, just nine weeks after opening. Boris Johnson claims it is a key part of plans to further rejuvenate the east end of the city and with passengers still taking flight in healthy numbers, the cable car remains one of London's must-do experiences.

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Thames Cable Car to Play Key Role in Further Rejuvenation of East London

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