My love of travel by public
transport doesn’t normally entitle me to travel by cable car. And until a few
months ago this small adventure across the River Thames wouldn’t have been
possible. The ‘Emirates Air Line’ cable car is the first urban cableway in the
UK.
It was with some skepticism that
I bought my single ticket (a 25% reduction for travelcard holders) and boarded the
slow-moving cars at London’s Greenwich peninsula on the south bank close to the
O2 Arena.
At first glance the cable car
lacks a certain elegance; the individual cars a little boxy in shape. The
seating inside, enough for 10 in all, was pleasant if basic, a lot like other
forms of public transport. A flat-screen television on the roof shows the exact
location of the car on the route, though with the skeptic-ridding views I
failed to notice it until the last minute.
Slightly boxy perhaps; facing north
The car rose quickly to its
maximum height of 11.84 metres quickly, doing 6 m/s all the while (that’s 14
miles an hour to normal folk). It swayed a little from side to side before
settling into smooth motion. It had a real sense of momentum, ensuring a
continuous change of view during the 10 minute ride: from O2 Arena and Canary
Wharf to my first views of the Olympic Park. Not only that, the views of London
from that height and angle must be unique.
Catching the views, from on high
Coming close to the Royal Dock
terminal on the Thames’ north bank the cars undercut the flight-path of
airliners heading to the runway of London City Airport, the row of landing
lights and stretch of grey tarmac now visible among the waters of the old
docks. People from all over Europe were ending their journeys at the airport as
I ended mine from south to north London within their view.