The new German government want to make it easier for cities across the country to incorporate cable cars into their public transport systems. Guidelines for municipalities are being drawn up and are expected to be released in 2022.

German cities set to take to the skies

Germans should soon be able to soar over their cities, as the new government, dubbed the traffic light coalition, has put plans in place to integrate cable cars into public transport. Guidelines for municipalities are currently being drawn up by the Stuttgart-based consulting company Drees & Sommer. "Our public transport in the big cities is well organised, but has reached its limits," said the project manager Sebastian Beck. "The aim of the cable car is to close, relieve, lengthen and bridge gaps."

Berlin is set to be the first city in Germany to fully incorporate cable cars into its public transport system. Plans have been released that would see the city’s current cable car, located at the Gardens of the World in Marzahn, connected to the U5 Kienberg station. Currently, the cable car boasts 64 “cars” but, without an end destination, it is simply a tourist attraction.

Under the current plans, the cable car in Berlin would be accessible with a normal public transport ticket.

Cable cars: coming to a city near you

Right now, Munich is also being considered as a location for a cable car, with officials looking into constructing infrastructure in the north of the city. There are also plans for a cable car in Bonn, which will be used to create transport links across the Rhine.

Cable cars are seen as a particularly green mode of transport, which goes some way to explain why the government are keen to integrate them into German cities. They have been hailed as cheap, reliable and eco-friendly, as well as being a viable replacement for other public transport services.

However, the Federal Transport Ministry has warned that cable cars also do have disadvantages, such as not being able to transport large groups of people at once, which municipalities will have to weigh up against the advantages and make an informed decision on whether to institute cable car facilities in the city. “A cable car alone is not the solution to all transport problems,” the ministry said. “Our question is rather: when can a cableway be a sensible supplement to public transport? Where can it play to its specific strengths?”