Mobility solutions with ropeways are booming. Around the world, more and more work is being done on mobility solutions with ropeways – also in North Rhine-Westphalia. The new state law is intended to speed up the approval process for ropeways in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Transport Minister Hendrik Wüst: “Ropeways are a means of transport of the future and can be an important building block for better, safer and cleaner mobility in North Rhine-Westphalia. That’s why we are now giving the ropeway law an update to simplify and speed up planning procedures.”

The potential that ropeways have for mobility in North Rhine-Westphalia is demonstrated by the research being carried out on the “upBus” at RWTH Aachen University for transmodular local transport. The “upBus” is a hybrid mobility concept in which a vehicle switches between an aerial tramway and autonomous bus operation. Unlike a conventional connection between an aerial tramway system and a bus, where passengers have to get off, passengers in the “upBus” can remain in the cabin of the hybrid vehicle.

Minister Wüst: “The ‘upBus’ from RWTH Aachen University is an example of the fact that many innovations for new mobility are being researched and developed in North Rhine-Westphalia. And they should also be produced here so that we can continue to offer challenging jobs and retain and attract highly qualified workers in the region.”

The law on ropeways in North Rhine-Westphalia regulates the planning, construction and operation of ropeways. This also covers the planning approval and licensing procedure as well as the supervision of ropeways throughout the state. With the amendment now underway, the Cableway Act is being brought into line with current EU law.

The implementation of the plan approval procedure will now be included in the new law as a simplified procedure as a rule. In addition, the extension of the scope of application of the planning approval procedure to projects with an obligation to conduct an environmental impact assessment is made possible by special regulations on public participation. This serves the goal of reducing bureaucracy and simplifying the implementation of projects.

In this way, new solutions for local public transport can be implemented more quickly than before.

Background to the public transport offensive

In December 2019, the Ministry of Transport launched a public transport offensive. 2 billion euros have been made available for this until 2031 in North Rhine-Westphalia. The offensive will bundle a large number of projects that will make public transport in North Rhine-Westphalia more attractive, more efficient, more reliable and more flexible. Better local public transport, both in urban centers and in rural areas of North Rhine-Westphalia, is a central goal of the state government’s transport policy.

For better, safer and cleaner mobility, ropeways can also be a component of passenger transportation. That is why the Ministry of Transport has now introduced an amendment to the ropeway law in the state parliament.