After a protracted 17-year planning and development phase, Europe's longest urban cable car system has finally commenced operations in the southeastern suburbs of Paris.
A Vital Link for Isolated Communities
The new line, named Câble C1, represents a first for the French capital. Its primary purpose is to bridge a critical transport gap, connecting poorly served outer neighbourhoods directly to the core Metro network. The 4.5-kilometre route links Métro Line 8 at Pointe-du-Lac in Créteil to Villa Nova in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, with intermediate stops in Limeil-Brévannes and Valenton.
Featuring 105 gondolas, each with ten seats, the system is projected to carry approximately 11,000 passengers daily, gliding above Parisian streets. The journey time is a major selling point: a complete trip takes just 18 minutes, including stops. This compares favourably to roughly 40 minutes by bus or car along the same corridor.
An Affordable Alternative to Underground Expansion
Accessibility and cost were key drivers for the project. Commuters can use the cable car with a standard Navigo travel pass. For those without a pass, the journey requires two tickets: €2.50 for Métro Line 8 and €2 for the cable car itself.
Grégoire de Lasteyrie, Vice President for Transport of the Île-de-France regional council, highlighted the economic rationale. He stated the €138 million project was a far cheaper alternative to constructing new underground Metro lines, which he estimated would have cost over a billion euros and likely never been financed.
Expert Views and Lessons for London
Transport experts have weighed in on the initiative. Paul Herriotts, Professor of Transport Design at Coventry University, called it a "new and exciting initiative" but stressed that passenger experience and full accessibility must be paramount in any new system.
Jack Parry, a Track Design Engineer at Colas Rail UK, agreed the cable car is a good solution for connecting underserved areas. However, he pointed to the cautionary tale of London's IFS Cloud Cable Car, which failed as a commuter service and was rebranded as a tourist attraction, with a £7 one-way fare.
Both experts concur that for such a scheme to succeed in London, it would need to be part of a fully integrated, multimodal strategy priced for commuters. Potential locations could include outer suburban areas with weak transport links, such as parts of Southwest London or boroughs like Havering and Sutton, where bus speeds can fall below 8mph during rush hour.
While the Parisian system now holds the European record, it remains shorter than the world's longest urban cable car, which spans over 20 miles between the Bolivian cities of La Paz and El Alto.
