Proposed alignment for Cleveland Skylift. Screenshot image via Youtube.
This past weekend a conceptual CPT line was proposed in Cleveland, Ohio. This concept is called the Cleveland Skylift and one of its purposes is to enhance connectivity throughout the city’s waterfront area. As it stands right now, the system is 5.25 miles (8.5 km) long with with 11 stations. Instead of merely functioning as a transit line, the CPT lines hopes to serve both a transport and entertainment role, or “transpertainment” role.
The proponent and company behind this idea is Jon Stahl from LeanDog, a software company that’s housed in a floating office on the lakefront. In just four months time, they’ve been able to build this concept from almost nothing.
We’ve seen a lot of interesting CPT proposals surface during our time here on the Gondola Project, but must say that the amount of time and resources already spent on this is simply incredible.
On their website, you’ll see that as part of this campaign to generate excitement and buzz, the team has actually purchased a gondola! The reason is that they want passengers in Cleveland to experience a first hand digiital simulation of what it might feel like to ride the system.
Mock image of what gondola cabin could look like. Image via Cleveland Skylift Facebook.
And if that isn’t impressive enough, the company actually hired a plane and filmed an aerial route of what passengers could experience if the Skylift was built.
At this time, in order to push this concept one step closer to reality, they’ve launched a crowdsourcing campaign on Indiegogo to help fund a feasibility study. And if you’d like to learn more, CUP was interviewed last week by The Plain Dealer, to provide some preliminary thoughts on this proposal and CPT technology.