Cities
Rheinpendel: Is a cable car feasible in Cologne?
The city of Cologne has, in any case, commissioned a feasibility study for an urban cable car. This study was carried out by the ROPEWAY PROJECT GROUP (RPG) from South Tyrol.
As part of the feasibility study, various cable car routes in the city area were examined. This included different cable car systems, rough sizing of stations, operational processes, and an initial cost estimate discussed in the study.
Above the water.
An urban cable car in Cologne is intended to overcome the urban barrier presented by the River Rhine.
The result of the study culminated in a selected preferred option that was presented to the city of Cologne by RPG. A continuous route is plannedacross a total of five sections, which increases availability.
“This also minimizes downtime and facilitates maintenance and repair work,“ says Stephan Obexer.
Preventive maintenance measures and regular upkeep contribute to maintaining the availability of the cable cars at nearly 100 percent.
Planning and Implementation
According to the RPG study, the planned routes would use 3S (tri- cable) ropeways with cabins for 26 passengers each, enabling a capacity of 1,500 people per hour.
In addition to continuous operation, “on-demand“ sections with a call system are also planned. Passengers can activate the transport by pressing a button to access the cable car cabin when needed.
The travel speed is assumed to be 6 m/s (21.6 km/h), resulting in travel times ranging from 1 minute and 33 seconds to 4 minutes and 24 seconds,depending on the route.
Safety measures in the planning include increased availability through separate sections, video surveillance, and an intercom system in the cabins.
Integration with Public Transport
Critical for a cable car connection is the interaction of the “Rheinpendel“ (Rhine shuttle) with other future transportation measures. RPG has also created a preferred option for integrating the cable car into public transport.
For further information on this and other projects, visit: ropeway-project.group
