The Ijbaan concept, an urban cable car over the Ij River (pronounced: “eye”), was initiated in 2014 by civil engineers Bas Dekker and Willem Wessels. They established the foundation “Stichting IJbaan” to involve private investors. The initiative must be fully privately funded as the city of Amsterdam will not contribute to the expected costs of approximately €90 million.

Currently, a feasibility study is underway to assess the implementation conditions. The results are expected to be available by the end of the year. The study will also involve discussions with residents and businesses to determine if constructing the cable car is economically viable before a final decision is made. The Amsterdam municipal administration, consisting of the three-party coalition of D66, GroenLinks, and PvdA, must also give the project the green light.

The route would extend from the western harbor area (Hemknoop), where up to 70,000 new apartments are planned to be built, to Noord (NDSM-Marina) (see site plan). According to Stichting IJbaan, the cable car would not be a tourist attraction but rather a serious alternative to the public ferry network as part of the public transportation system, which is already reaching its capacity limits during peak times. The cable car could transport up to 5,500 people per hour.

According to some Dutch newspapers, the coalition parties D66, GroenLinks, and PvdA have generally agreed to the construction of the Ijbaan as part of the negotiations for the spring update of the city budget, provided that feasibility is confirmed. The planning process continues, so the Ijbaan could potentially be operational as early as 2027. However, there are still some hurdles to overcome for the initiators, Bas Dekker and Willem Wessels, before that time.