It appears that the proposal has been under investigation since 2009, and the existing alignment calls for a 2.6km line which connects three activity centres:
Oncopole, a 220 hectare site home to a new €1 billion cancer research campus.
Proposed alignment map. Image from Midi Pyrenees.
Proposed alignment satellite. Image from Tisseo.
Approximately €40-44m has been allocated to the project. The modestly sized system of 1500 pphpd is estimated to transport 6000-7000 daily riders. Point to point transport will only take 10 minutes versus 32 minutes via bus and metro. Other key stats include:
Cabin size: 35 persons
Technology: 3S/TDG
Total cabins: 20 (18 during peak)
Cabin frequency: 1min 30 secs (peak); 5-7 min (off-peak)
Speed: 15km/h
Undoubtedly, if the available renderings were based off of reality, the station and towers will be of the more aesthetically pleasing variety. While the extent of the customization is uncertain at this time, this issue will be of particular interest as previous highly customized urban CPT systems have been subject to significant scope creep (i.e. think Portland and London). The budget of €40-44m will certainly test the abilities of the project team.
Given the language barriers, exactly why 3S/TDG technology was chosen for a 1500 pphpd capacity system is unclear at this time — a MDG system would be able to perform a similar task at a lower price tag. However, among a range of benefits, a 3S line could offer greater reliability since it can operate under higher wind speeds. My suspicion (and I say this through my own personal experiences) is that tricable systems tend to fare better in terms of optics and public acceptance when it comes to implementing CPT systems in the Western world.
I’m certain there may be other reasons and if any of our readers have more details, we’d love to hear from you. Overall, this is appears to be a groundbreaking project as it may be the first 3S CPT system to be fully integrated into a local transit network.
Constantine Telepherique - Station Tatache Belkacem. Image from Wikipedia.
The Constantine Telepherique in Constantine, Algeria officially held celebrations for its 12 million passengers (in French) last week. Since it opened in June 2008, the system averaged approximately 3 million riders per year. Not too shabby for a 1.5km cable system in a city with only half a million residents. If the statistics hold true, the system carries more passengers annually than the Portland Aerial Tram and Roosevelt Island Tram combined!
Based on these facts, it appears that while the Constantine Telepherique is likely one of the most successful CPT systems, it unfortunately continues to be one of the least understood in the English-speaking world. In fact, similar to what happened in Medellin where one successful CPT line stimulated the need to build more cable lines, the city’s Director of Transportation has announced a proposal to construct two more cable lifts in Constantine! If they are built, the city will match the total number of CPT lines currently operating in Medellin.
One of proposed lines is expected to connect to Bekira Hospital while the second line links downtown to the Sidi Mabrouk district. We’ll be sure to follow this story and provide more updates as they become available.
Rendering of the Brest Téléphérique, due to open in 2015. Image via Urbanews.fr.
The small Breton city of Brest, France will enter the small club of cities around the world with an urban gondola system to call their own.
Back in December of 2011, the topographically-challenged city of 140,000 inhabitants approved plans to proceed with a short gondola system spanning the city’s harbour and Penfeld River.
The system is modest with only 2 stations, and ~ 410 meters in length. It’s primary purpose is to connect the left bank of the city with the future neighbourhood of the Capuchins. Befitting the areas naval heritage, the system will operating at a height of 60 meters to allow naval ships to pass underneath.
Now, if Google Translate is right (and it often isn’t), we’re talking about a system characterized by “two sets of three cabins of 20 seats will transport passengers every 3 minutes for a journey estimated at about one minute” (thanks Google Translate!).
Regular readers will immediately spot something amiss here.
If that quote/translation is to be believed, that means this is a Pulsed Gondola configuration. As we’ve discussed before, Pulsed Gondolasrarely have any useful purpose in urban environments due to their (relatively) long wait times, low capacities and inability to turn corners. This, however, is exactly the kind of situation where a pulsed situation is useful.
Due to the extremely short distance of the line, the wait time and capacity issue is largely eliminated. That allows project planners to leverage the (relatively) low costs of a pulsed system while minimizing the negatives associated with the technology.
If this all pans out, it will be the first known pulsed gondola to be fully-integrated into a public transportation agency – and worthy of our attention.
Having said that however, the youtube video of the system that’s making the rounds seems to show a Funitel-based technology arranged in a Pulsed configuration:
We’ve seen configurations like this before, but they’re rare.
To be honest, the only system I know of that uses such a set-up is the Bouqetin Funitel in Val Thorens, France. I’ll also admit that I have no idea what the advantages of the system are. Presumably, it leverages the low-cost of the pulsed system with the high wind stability of the Funitel. I also suspect that they’re arranged in a Dual Haul configuration to allow for round-the-clock operations.
Those comments, however, are pure speculation and I’d love for other readers to chime in with their thoughts because this thing is certainly an oddball.
Bouquetin Funitel in Val Thorens, France. Image by flickr user 123_456.
No matter what, you can be sure we’ll follow this one closely.
We’re currently monitoring developments in Quebec and an announcement by the Société de transport de Laval (STL), the transportation planning agency for the Montreal suburb of Laval.
According to an STL press releasethe agency will provide details regarding a feasibility study for what they’re calling “Un Tramway Aérien” as part of that city’s transportation network. In addition “a visual simulation of the proposed aerial tramway, in the context of planned developments in downtown Laval, will be presented at the press conference.”
We’ll provide more details and information after the press conference.
For those interested, forum debates on the topic (in French) are currently ongoing at mtlurb.com and metrodemontreal.com. Our French readers are encouraged to provide details and translations in the comments.
