SI Urban 1/2022

How does a feasibility study work for urban cable cars? Based on the example of the Austrian city of Innsbruck, BERNARD group Managing Director and Transport Engineer Lukas Praxmarer demonstrates what matters – and why he also looks at where cable cars are not viable.

Many transport experts regard the system of urban cable cars as the solution to the growing transport problem. With rapid availability, a small structural footprint and an environmentally friendly drive, the system offers everything that is required of transport systems today. Yet, despite all these advantages, the concept of the cable car is having difficulty winning people over from familiar, tried and tested systems such as bus and rail, especially in Europe. What would it take to establish the cable car as a transport system?

So-called smart mobility crops up in conversation time and again, but what does it mean and how can this approach revolutionise transport as we know it?

Transport is being reimagined. With concepts such as e-cars and car-free cities, a trend away from individual transport and towards more sustainable alternatives is emerging. One of these alternatives could be the cable car, as several points indicate that the cable car would bring great value added in urban mobility.

Various infrastructure projects are currently being discussed in Kansas City, including a light railway to the stadium and an urban cable car. Depending which representative you ask, a different project should take priority. One senior government official in Wyandotte County is especially passionate about the cable-drawn transport system.