Discussing the Emirates Air Line

If you are planning a day out in London, how many people say "let's go on the Emirates Air Line"? Not many, just 1.3m people a year travel on the Emirates Air Line. The British Museum, Tate Modern, and London Eye all receive at least three times as many visitors each year. 7 years since opening in June 2012 I ask the question, has the Emirates Air Line been a success? 

Costing £60m, the Emirates Air Line is a 1-kilometre gondola crossing the river Thames from North Greenwich to the Royal Docks. Transport for London was committed for the project to be opened in time for London 2012 Olympic Games, they were successful, but at £35m over budget. When building the Millennium Dome (now known as the O2) the developers were keen to provide a car free transport strategy for visitors, and the idea of a cable car emerged. But since the idea emerged, North Greenwich has seen the Jubilee Line Extension and the Docklands Light Railway on the north side at Royal Docks. 

The 36 gondolas can accommodate a maximum capacity of 2,500 passengers per hour, yet five months after opening, the usage data revealed that the Emirates Air Line was operating at less than 10% of its capacity. It was hoped that commuters may use the service, so a special commuter fare was established costing £16 for 10 trips, however, just 0.01% of journeys were made using this fare. In November 2013 just four Oyster card users registered for a discount if they made more than five journeys a week. So if commuters are not using the service, who is?

TfL market the Emirates Air Line as a "unique view of London", and a cost of just £3.50 for adults using Oyster it is a cost-effective way of seeing views of 'London'. The London Eye costs £27 and lifts to the viewing gallery at the Shard cost £25. Although considerably more expensive than the Emirates Air Line, the London Eye and the Shard are more centrally located and offer better views of London. If you want views of St Paul's, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London or the Houses of Parliament, travelling on the Emirates Air Line would be a disappointment. A tourist tip, if you want these views but believe the London Eye and the Shard are too expensive, try the Sky Garden, tickets are free and you get similar views. 

The Emirates Air Line is ultimately a piece of transport infrastructure. With poor user ship, I am critical of its success, especially when Sustrans were commissioned by TfL in 2008 to review a proposed pedestrian and cycle bridge in east London. The study revealed that "the bridge is feasible" and at an estimated cost of £66m, just £6m more than a poorly used gondola, and the bridge would have provided active travel links over the river Thames benefiting major business districts and the environment. 

Urban cable cars across the world have been very successful. In 2004 Medellin, Columbia, became the first city in the world to integrate cable cars into an existing subway system. Cities across the globe have been following suit, urban cable cars are means of transport in Nizhny Novgorod in Russia, La Paz in Bolivia, and Ankara in Turkey.




I do not believe the Emirates Air Line has been as successful in London as it could have been. It is in the wrong place to capture tourists and it does not provide useful transport links to an area served by the Jubilee line to the south and the DLR to the north. Ultimately I am unsure if Emirates Air Line is a tourist attraction or a transport solution. Would a cable car be beneficial to London? I think it could if it offered a service that was more attractive than alternative transport modes, including driving and using public transport. If you have not visited the Emirates Air Line, I do recommend you have a visit and make your own opinion. There are somethings that TfL have done well with the cable car, including the branding, it does feel like a TfL service. Each gondola has a red moquette, the cable car is identified by roundels and the wayfinding matches TfL's font.

Have you used the Emirates Air Line? Do you agree with my observations? Follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@TubeSpottingDan) for more conversations on transport in London.