The walk from Marseille Airport to Vitrolles-Aéroport-Marseille-Provence station takes 35 minutes – not really an option for travellers with luggage. However, the alternative, the shuttle bus, which would cover the distance in just five minutes, does not prove to be very reliable:

The irregular intervals between the journeys sometimes leave passengers waiting at the terminal for a whole 20 minutes. In addition, the city’s buses are often stuck in traffic jams on the crowded streets, resulting in even longer waiting times.

The solution that the French metropolis has come up with allows for a comfortable route across the city, taking travellers to their destination within six minutes: An urban cable car will connect the airport with the station area.

A stopover is envisioned at the Airbus Helicopters site, which should accommodate the 8,000 employees there and make it easier to connect to the train service.

Obstacles

The Marseille cable car project, which is scheduled to open in 2025, has already overcome two major obstacles: With the positive results of a study on feasibility, which was commissioned three years ago, the possibility of implementing the project is guaranteed.

The investment sum of 30 million euros has also already been tackled: Only recently, the city of Marseille approved a first partial investment of 3 million euros towards the project.

Critics are still voicing their concern that the cable car will only be useful in combination with a more frequent train connection from the Vitrolles-Aéroport-Marseille-Provence station.