| Emirates Air Line | |
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The Emirates Air Line logo |
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| Overview | |
| Type | Gondola lift or Aerial tramway |
| Status | Under Construction |
| Locale | Greenwich and Docklands, London, UK |
| Termini | Greenwich Peninsula (west) Royal Docks (east) |
| Stations | 2 |
| Services | 1 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | Summer 2012 (expected) |
| Operator(s) | Transport for London |
| Character | Elevated |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1 km (0.62 mi) |
| Electrification | Electric motor powering cable bullwheel |
| Highest elevation | 93 m (305 ft) |
Emirates Air Line is a Transport for London gondola link across the River Thames in London that is planned to be built by the 2012 London Olympics, sponsored by the air carrier Emirates.[1][2] The scheme, announced in July 2010, envisages a 1 km (0.62 mi) cable car line running from the Greenwich Peninsula over the river to the Royal Docks, linking two important Olympic sites. The project, estimated to cost £60 million, began construction in August 2011.[3] On the new tube map issued in December 2011, the cable car appeared as under construction.
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On 4 July 2010, Transport for London announced plans to develop a cable car crossing over the River Thames. It would be the first urban cable car in the United Kingdom. The purpose was to provide additional transport links for the forthcoming London Olympics in 2012.[4]
The cable car will cross the river at a height of over 50 metres, similar to that of the Dome offering spectacular aerial views of the Olympic Park. The cable car could provide a crossing every 30 seconds carrying up to 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction, equivalent to the capacity of 50 buses.[4] It is planned that the cable car will also be able to convey bicycles and that passengers will be able to use Oyster Cards to pay for their journeys.[5]
The precise technology and operational details have yet to be decided, but transport planners have cited examples of other urban cable car systems such as the Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York, USA, and the Cologne Cable Car in Germany.[4]
A planning application was submitted to the London Borough of Newham in October 2010 concerning the "erection of a cable car for the length of 1,100m over the River Thames from North Woolwich Peninsula to Royals Victoria Dock at a minimum clearance of 54.1m above mean high water springs".[6] The application lists the structures planned for the service on the north side of the Thames as an 87-metre north main tower at Clyde Wharf, a 60-metre intermediate tower next to West Silvertown DLR station, a two-storey gondola station and "boat impact protection" in Royal Victoria Dock.[6] South of the river will be a 60-metre main support tower and a station in the car park near the O2 Arena.
Construction began in August 2011 with Mace as the lead contractor.[7] Mace is building the cable car for £45m and will operate it for the first three years for £5.5m. Transport for London has provided the initial construction funding and sponsorship from airline Emirates will cover £36 million of the cost. The rest will be funded from fares.[1] The Cable Car will be the most expensive cable system ever built.
The cable car is to be based on Monocable Detachable Gondola (MDG) technology, a system which uses a single cable for both propulsion and support, such as that used on the Caracas Aerial Tramway. Commentators have remarked that the MDG system is cheaper and quicker to install than a more complex three-cable system which would allow for larger-capacity cars.[8]
When the project was announced, Transport for London initially budgeted it at £25 million and announced that it would be entirely funded by private finance.[5] This figure was then revised to £45 million, and by September 2011 the budget had more than doubled to £60 million, reportedly because TfL had not taken account of the costs of legal advice, project management, land acquisition and other costs. TfL planned to make up the shortfall by paying for the project out of the London Rail budget, applying for funding from the European Regional Development Fund and seeking commercial sponsorship.[9] In October 2011, it was announced that the Dubai-based airline Emirates would provide £36 million in a 10-year sponsorship deal which included branding the cable car service with the airline's name.[1]
The Emirates Air-Line Cable Car is the only Cable Car system in the world to cut through an airports Public Safety Zone or "Crash Zone" because London City Airport is so close. Transport For London failed to do a safety analysis at the original planning stage and were forced to do so due to repeated calls by objectors.
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Legend
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The western end of the cable car line will be close to the O2, the planned venue of artistic gymnastics and basketball events of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The cable car will offer interchange with London Underground at North Greenwich station and London River Services at the nearby North Greenwich Pier.
The eastern end of the cable car line will be at the Royal Docks, close to the ExCeL Centre which is to host a number of Olympic martial arts and weightlifting events. Interchange with the Docklands Light Railway will be possible at Royal Victoria DLR station.
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