Paris introduced its first urban cable car system on Saturday, with officials launching the C1 line in the southeastern suburbs. The new transit option is designed to cut down travel times and better connect neighborhoods that have been underserved by the existing metro network.

The C1 line spans 4.5 kilometers, linking Créteil and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges while stopping at Limeil-Brevannes and Valenton along the way. The system operates 105 gondolas that can each hold ten seated passengers, with projected daily ridership reaching 11,000 people.

Travelers can complete the full route in 18 minutes with stops included, cutting the typical 40-minute commute by bus or car in half. The cable car provides direct access to line 8 of the Paris metro and accepts standard bus tickets and metro travel passes.

Financing the Project

The cable car cost €138 million to construct, representing substantial savings compared to other transit infrastructure options. According to Grégoire de Lasteyrie, who oversees transport for the Île-de-France regional council, building an underground metro line would have required over a billion euros in funding that simply wasn’t available.

Valérie Pécresse, who heads the Île-de-France region, characterized the project as a decade-long effort that involved navigating funding challenges and building support among local residents.

Filling Transit Gaps

Valenton mayor Metin Yavuz explained that the cable car helps address transportation inequities in areas that lack sufficient public transit options. Limeil-Brevannes particularly benefits from the new system, as the town previously had no metro or rail connections.

Broader Context

This marks France’s seventh urban cable car, following installations in cities like Brest, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, and Toulouse. France’s first urban cable car opened in Grenoble back in 1934, and its distinctive bubble gondolas remain an iconic feature of that Alpine city.

Cable cars have traditionally served mountainous regions, but cities around the world are increasingly adopting them for urban transportation. The Paris system now holds the title of Europe’s longest urban cable car, though it doesn’t match the scale of the world’s longest network spanning 20 miles between La Paz and El Alto in Bolivia.

Cable cars rank among the safest transportation methods globally. France’s last fatal cable car incident occurred in 1999.