Prague reveals new visualizations for cable car over the Vltava river

A long-discussed cable car connecting Prague's Podbaba, Troja, and Bohnice neighborhoods has taken a step closer to becoming a reality this weekend with the launch of a public contract for a designer and a tender for the organizer of an architectural competition. Prague's public transport authority DPP announced the news on Friday.

DPP also released some new visualizations of what Prague residents can expect the cable car to look like, though the final design won't be known until next year. The winner of both contracts will be selected by the end of January, 2022.

Plans for a cable car as a public transport solution between Prague 6 and Prague 8 were first announced in 2018, and further details were published last year following the conclusion of a technical study.

The cable car will have three stations at Podbaba, Troja, and Bohnice, along with five supporting pillars between them. Each of the stations will be integrated with current tram and bus stops to provide efficient transport solutions.

While the neighborhoods are only separated by a few kilometers, they currently lack an effective public transport solution. The cable car promises to turn what is now a 40-minute journey through the city center into a scenic seven-minute ride over the Vltava.

Given the stop in Troja, residents and visitors to the Czech capital will also have much-improved access to Prague Zoo, which is currently only accessible by bus among public transport options.

"After the approval of the plan by the council last year, we continue to prepare the project and the next step is a competition for the designer and organizer of the architectural competition, from which the form of stations and supports of the cable car will emerge," Prague Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr stated in a press release.

The City of Prague approved plans for the cable car in August, 2020, following a technical study that outlined the positions of each of the stations and supporting pillars for the project. This year, DPP consulted with international cable car manufacturers Doppelmayr and Leitner to verify those plans.

The total cost for the cable car project is expected to run just north of two billion crowns, around 500 million more than previous estimates. It will run for about 2.3 kilometers between districts in Prague 6 and Prague 8 over the Vltava river.

The cable car is expected to be operational by 2025.