Rencontres Nationales du Transport Public

Designed in the 1960s for logistical purposes, the valley's first aerial tramway was built for boarding in Magland, in order to transport the workers and materials required to build the Flaine resort. However, the aerial tramway was eventually shelved as cars took over, and the installation was converted into power lines.

Among growing concern about environmental damage to the Arve Valley, in 2019 the local authorities revived plans to construct a valley lift. In March 2021, the Funiflaine project was officially awarded to a consortium of local businesses: POMA, la Compagnie des Alpes (CDA), ATMB and Crédit Agricole des Savoie. Co-financed by public (Syndicat Mixte de Funiflaine) and private players, Funiflaine is a regional development project that prioritises sustainability and soft mobility for transport in the mountains.

The future valley lift, which is scheduled to open in late 2025, will connect the A40 – known as the White Motorway – and the Paris-Chamonix rail link (Magland train station) with the Flaine ski resort, via Pierre Carrée, improving access to the skiing area and significantly cutting road traffic, with the goal of promoting sustainable development of the region.

The future of urban transport is a real social and environmental issue and is at the heart of ongoing discussions among communities. The pioneering city of Medellín was the first municipality to use a new urban mobility solution by integrating an overhead ropeway line into its network in 2004. Metrocable’s first line, “Line K”, which is connected to the metro, created a link between the inhabitants and the city centre. This new urban mobility, made possible by the new lines, has reinforced the social cohesion in local areas by connecting sectors that had long been isolated.

After the success of this first gondola lift, Medellín continued to develop the “proyecto de Ciudad” city project by adding 5 other lines to the network: line J (2007), line L (2010), line H (2016), line M (2019) and finally line P (2021).

Open 7 days a week, 19 hours a day, the Metrocable provides the inhabitants of Medellín with a safe, fast and efficient mode of transport between the city centre and its outskirts. The network of cable cars now stretches over 14 kilometres, directly connected to the different lines of the Medellín Metro by multimodal stations. Each year, more than 220 million people use the city's transport system, demonstrating a successful social inclusion model that offers a new quality of life to the city's residents through social connections and increasingly attractive neighbourhoods.

Thanks to this sustainable mobility solution and its proven energy efficiency, air pollution has been cut for the inhabitants of Medellín. This is because the extent of the Metrocable transport system is such that it contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions and improves air quality by offering an alternative to road traffic.

The Symphony model cabins will be able to accommodate a total of 34 people with 20 seats, spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility and even spaces for bikes. They will travel at a speed of 25 km/h and come to a complete stop at the station to make boarding and alighting as safe as possible. The symphony model is completely silent and will offer passengers a safe and comfortable travel experience, as well as a panoramic view of the city. The carrier will also be equipped with an anti-vertigo filter to ensure that even those most sensitive to heights can enjoy the ride.

The metallic blue POMA cabin boasts a simple and elegant design by Paolo Pininfarina, the famous Italian Ferrari designer. Like all of our cabin ranges, Symphony cabins are produced in France, at the Sigma subsidiary based in Veyrins-Thuellin near Grenoble, guaranteeing POMA know-how and expertise.

Three kilometres long, the Téléo line connects Paul Sabatier University and the Oncopole in just a 10-minute ride which crosses the Garonne river. The first 3S urban aerial tramway in France will provide a fast and reliable mode of transport at the heart of the public transport network in Toulouse.

Thanks to the future Téléo, the city of Toulouse is also offering residents an even cleaner, more sustainable mode of transport. With 8000 travellers expected each day, Toulouse's forthcoming aerial tramway will reduce ground traffic, therefore reducing Co2 emissions.

Namur residents will remember the first cable car installed in 1956 that took them to the top of the citadel up until 1997. Namur'snew gondola takes a different route today, rising over the Sambre and linking the city centre from Maurice Servais Square to the upper station on the Citadel's Esplanade, a stone's throw from the Digital Pavilion, a legacy from the Milan World Expo.

The gondola is both a useful link and an environmental plus, offering an alternative traffic route in the Walloon capital.

Designed to blend in with the urban landscape, the gondola's contemporary architecture respects this unique site. The two stations, built from Namur's typical red brick, blend discreetly with the surroundings. The technical parts of the gondola are well camouflaged and the ingenious design of the transparent glass surfaces allows perfect integration with the surrounding buildings. Careful attention has been paid to the installation of the towers. Of the four on the line, only one is obviously visible, the others merging discretely with the Terra Nova trees.

The designers were also careful to minimise the noise levels of the drive station. To reduce energy usage, the Diamond cabins are equipped with solar panels that power interior and exterior LED lighting.

The work site keeps moving forward with the achievement of several crucial steps. By the end of 2020, the municipal association CINOR (Communauté intercommunale Du Nord de la Réunion) and the FILAO-Group (Atelier Architectes, POMA and Egis) had completed the earthworks, the towers foundations' concrete work and a part of the assembly. To date, 42 towers have been installed out of the 42 planned and the 5 stations along the ride have been delivered.

Currently, the teams finalize the adjustments on the stations. As for the vehicles, in April, 46 cabins have been delivered on site and are now being assembled in the garage for their upcoming installation on the cable.

At the beginning of June, assisted by a drone, the teams will unwind the first cable between the towers. An unprecedented operation in our profession that our COMAG technicians master perfectly. Indeed, they have recently carried out the same intervention in the future Toulouse urban cable car project.

After the splicing that will complete the unwinding process, cabins can finally be hung on the cable, thereby giving to the locals an accurate idea of the final appearance of the future urban mobility system. Besides the system's technical and safety adjustments, the coming months will mainly be focused on the development of the areas around the stations. Constructions of park-and-ride facilities at Bancoul and Bois de Nèfles stations are planned as well as pedestrian walkways and the implementation of safety equipments in and around the stations. Le Chaudron bus station will also be redeveloped to fit the new adjustments. Thus, the commissioning of Saint-Denis de La Reunion gondola lift, planned for the second half of 2021, will offer a sustainable and multimodal transport solution to its users.