In the shadow of climate change and congested cities, a quiet contender for green mobility is rising—literally.

Cable cars, often seen as tourist thrills, are rapidly evolving into powerful tools for sustainable transport.

Their ability to navigate steep terrain, reduce emissions, and require minimal land use makes them uniquely suited to meet the needs of both modern cities and sensitive ecosystems. Let’s unpack how this high-flying transit system is becoming one of the world’s most climate-friendly innovations!

High Altitude, Low Carbon: Why Cable Cars Excel Environmentally

Compared to traditional vehicles climbing hills and mountains, cable cars operate with remarkably low energy consumption. The main reason lies in physics: a cable car system uses a single electric motor to pull multiple cabins along a loop, distributing energy far more efficiently than individual cars or buses each running a separate combustion engine.

According to a 2023 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), urban aerial ropeways emit as little as 20 grams of CO₂ per passenger-kilometer—a fraction of the 120–180 grams emitted by petrol-based cars. Additionally, unlike cars that idle in traffic, cable cars maintain a continuous motion, eliminating unnecessary fuel waste. In Switzerland, the Ropeway Energy Recovery Program uses regenerative braking to recover up to 40% of descending energy and send it back into the grid—an innovation now being tested in Germany, France, and Japan.

From Alps to Urban Slums: Where Cable Cars Are Changing Lives

Medellín, Colombia, once notorious for crime and steep geography, introduced the Metrocable system in 2004. Designed to integrate the city’s poorest and most isolated neighborhoods with the downtown metro, it now consists of six lines and connects to over 30,000 people daily, slashing travel time by more than half and creating new access to jobs, education, and healthcare. La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia, have gone even further. Their Mi Teleférico network spans over 33 kilometers, linking two cities separated by altitude and dense development.

Funded in part by the Austrian manufacturer Doppelmayr, the system transports more than 300,000 passengers per day, replacing thousands of diesel minibuses and cutting daily carbon emissions by an estimated 55 tons. And it’s not limited to South America. In Toulouse, France, the “Téléo” opened in 2022 as Europe’s longest urban aerial line, stretching 3 kilometers and connecting hospitals, universities, and residential areas in under 10 minutes—without paving a single new road.

Environmental Footprint: Less Concrete, More Conservation

One of the most underrated benefits of cable cars is their minimal land disturbance. Building highways or rail through mountainous terrain often requires tunneling, blasting, and deforestation. By contrast, cable cars only need small pylons every 300 to 800 meters, preserving flora, fauna, and the natural contours of the land.

In Vietnam, the Ba Na Hills cable car, which holds the Guinness World Record for the longest non-stop cable car (5,801 meters), was carefully built using helicopters to place towers without disrupting the jungle floor. Local vegetation and animal migration patterns were left virtually untouched.

Similarly, Switzerland’s Stoosbahn, although technically a funicular, uses a steep cable mechanism to climb gradients of 110% with minimal land impact—showing how cable technology in different forms is advancing sustainability even in extreme terrains.

Technical Challenges and the Next Generation of Cable Systems

Despite their strengths, cable cars are not without limitations. They require specific conditions: point-to-point routes, adequate passenger volume, and substantial upfront investment. A typical installation costs $15 million to $25 million per kilometer, depending on complexity and urban integration.

But technology is addressing those barriers. The tricable gondola system (3S technology), used in Zermatt, Switzerland, and Hon Thom Island, Vietnam, combines high wind resistance with high-capacity cabins—carrying up to 35 passengers per car and traveling at speeds of 7.5 m/s, even during severe weather.

Moreover, smart grid integration is the next frontier. In Innsbruck, Austria, cable car systems are now being tied into real-time energy balancing, where surplus solar and wind energy is used to operate gondolas during peak hours, stabilizing the local power grid while cutting further emissions.

Reimagining Public Transit From Above

In cities where road expansion is impossible, airspace offers a new frontier. As climate goals tighten and space grows scarce, cable cars could become the vertical backbone of green transport networks. Urban planning experts are already drawing multi-modal blueprints where cable lines feed into train stations, bike-sharing hubs, and pedestrian corridors. Pilot projects in Mumbai, Lagos, and Mexico City are proof that cable cars are not just novelties—they’re future infrastructure.

Cable cars deliver more than sweeping views. They represent a rare synergy between ecological protection and engineering elegance. Whether threading through cities or hovering above forests, they offer a practical, low-emission solution tailored for a world in transition!