A new urban cable‑car system has been launched in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, marking the first of its kind in the French capital’s region. The C1 line, which connects Créteil to Villeneuve‑Saint‑Georges, was inaugurated in the presence of Valérie Pécresse, head of the Île‑de‑France region, and local mayors.
The 4.5‑kilometre route passes through Limeil‑Brevannes and Valenton, aiming to improve transportation links between isolated neighbourhoods and Paris Metro line 8. The system features 105 gondolas, each accommodating ten seated passengers, and is expected to carry around 11,000 passengers daily. The total journey time is approximately 18 minutes, significantly reducing travel time compared with buses or cars, which take about 40 minutes.
The project is seen as a more cost‑effective alternative to building a subway, with a construction cost of €138 million. According to Grégoire de Lasteyrie, vice‑president of the Île‑de‑France regional council in charge of transport, an underground metro would have cost over a billion euros. The cable‑car system is France’s seventh urban cable car, with similar installations already operating in cities such as Brest, Saint‑Denis de La Réunion, and Toulouse.
Historically used to cross rugged terrain, urban cable cars are increasingly employed to connect isolated neighbourhoods. France’s first urban cable car was built in Grenoble in 1934, and the “bubbles” have become an iconic symbol of that city. The launch of the C1 line in the Île‑de‑France region marks a significant development in the country’s urban transportation landscape. As cities continue to grow, innovative solutions like cable‑car systems are being explored to address transportation challenges and improve connectivity. With its relatively low construction cost and efficient travel times, the C1 line is expected to have a positive impact on the daily commute of residents in the southeastern suburbs of Paris.
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