After more than a decade of discussions, the Grenoble T1 project seemed to be on track despite ongoing resistance from some residents and users.

The goal was to build the first urban cable car – besides Grenoble’s tourist-oriented Bastille cable car — to connect the “scientific” peninsula (home to nearly 30,000 researchers, students, and industry professionals) with the districts of Fontaine and Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux over a distance of 3.7 kilometers.

According to La Tribune, the Grenoble region’s mobility union (SMMAG) has now agreed to a new two-year deadline to update the studies.

Critics consider the cable car project “complex” and “unsuitable.” At the end of March 2024, the public inquiry commission issued a negative opinion on the project.

The Project

In May 2020, a consortium led by French cable car manufacturer POMA, engineering firm EGIS, and architects from Groupe-6 was awarded the contract. The project includes an investment of €55 million and a six-year maintenance contract worth €10 million.

The consortium aims to equip Grenoble, known as the “capital of the French Alps,” with a 3.7-kilometer-long cable car featuring six stations. The monocable gondola lift, simply named T1, will overcome roads (A480 and N481), railways, and rivers (Isère and Drac), as well as other obstacles, in just 15 minutes.

The name T1 follows the naming convention of local public transport lines, emphasizing the cable car’s full integration into the public transit network. Conveniently, it will connect with three tram lines and the bus network. By bridging physical barriers, the cable car will also strengthen existing transportation systems.

It is considered the only viable mobility solution for a district expected to gain more than 6,000 new residents and over 5,000 new jobs in the next decade. This large-scale urban development, featuring business centers and residential projects, is projected to generate around 80,000 trips per day on the cable car.

Design for Flora, Fauna, and Residents

The plan includes compact cable car stations with a 360° design, requiring minimal space. Constructed from glass, metal, wood cladding, and featuring green roofs, they are designed to blend seamlessly into the landscape.

Comfortable and quiet cabins, along with a CO2-free operation, make the cable car an environmentally friendly mode of transport accessible to people with disabilities and cyclists. Additionally, T1 will help reduce road traffic while offering significantly lower costs per kilometer compared to tram lines.

Another advantage is its reliability – there are no traffic jams. Only in rare cases of strong winds would the service need to be suspended. With its exclusive route, the cable car also offers spectacular views of the city and mountains, making it an attractive option for tourists.

The concept is in place – now it just needs to be implemented. As mentioned earlier, the deadline has been extended by two years.