Urban Cable Systems : Relevance and Challenges of Implementation

Since the early 2000s, there has been a real craze for cable-based urban public passenger transport systems, with growing interest from conurbations of all sizes. The advantages put forward include: proven and reliable technical systems, ease of implementation due to less stringent siting constraints than for a ground-based system, and more manageable costs.

While we can point to a number of emblematic sites in France and abroad, such as Brest, Saint-Denis de la Réunion, Toulouse, Hong Kong, Santo Domingo and, above all, Medellin in Colombia, the first high-profile reference, it is difficult to discern a volume of achievements commensurate with the stated ambitions. Those involved in the sector are unanimous in pointing to a variety of obstacles, both on the part of certain elected officials and, above all, local authority technicians, as well as potential local residents.

The abandonment of projects in Orléans, Grenoble, Lyon and the Île-de-France region (where some 15 projects were identified in the 2010s) raises the question of the conditions for transposing transport systems used primarily in natural environments (mountains in particular) and for tourist travel into urban environments. Is it as easy as the promoters of teleported systems claim? Is it as economical as anticipated? Without claiming to be exhaustive, this article aims to list the difficulties encountered and to propose more in-depth reflection on certain points currently considered to be blocking the way.