Delivering the Emirates Air Line, London – Britain's first urban cable car

Abstract

The Emirates Air Line is a spectacular 1·1 km cable car which crosses the River Thames in London at up to 90 m above the ground. Forming part of the Docklands Light Railway network, the £60 million project was delivered in just 15 months and opened a month before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It has since been carrying an average of over 30 000 people a week, helping to boost the wider regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Docks. This paper provides an overview of the challenging design and construction of the unique project, which looks set to serve as benchmark for future urban transit systems.