LONDON – Think Swiss Alps rather than San Francisco.
A new cable car will soar over the Thames River starting next
week, promising to become part of the London landscape ahead of the
Summer Olympics.
Transport for London has set June 28 as the opening date for
Britain's first urban cable car -- well in time for the massive
crowds expected for the Olympics. It is called the Emirates Air
Line, after the air carrier invested 36 million pounds ($56
million) as part of a 10-year sponsorship deal.
The cable car will make the half-mile (one kilometer) crossing
between Greenwich and the Royal Docks, allowing visitors to take in
the views of Olympic Park, the Canary Wharf financial center and
the Thames Barrier, massive structures in the river that keep
London from flooding.
"The Emirates Air Line is part of my plan to develop a package
of new river crossings in east London and transform the surrounding
area into a vibrant new metropolitan quarter that will attract new
jobs, homes and enterprise," London Mayor Boris Johnson said in a
statement.
Each of the 34 cars holds 10 people and looks like the gondolas
that ferry skiers up the mountains in the Swiss Alps. Travelers can
go one way or round-trip, with a one-way ticket costing 3.20 pounds
($5).
Aside from being just plain fun, the cable car should help ease
public transport ahead of the London games, which start July 27 and
end Aug. 12.
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