Year of aerial celebration gets underway
2 Jan 2015
This year Transport for London and the London Transport Museum are celebrating the 'Year of the Cablecar' - a series of engaging events, exhibitions, recreations and activities that will reconnect Londoners with their cablecar and remind the world of the incredible role it plays in this great city.
2015 has been selected as the Year of the Cablecar because it sees a key anniversary in the history of this essential means of travel. It's been precisely three years since the creation of the Emirates Airline finally linked North and South London together via a permanent aerial lifeline - three years since communities became better connected and a brand new attraction took its place on the tourist map.
Our cablecar is the artery of the capital, moving unexpected numbers of commuters across the river and delighting tourists with its elevated spectacle. It has affected great social change, with the opening of a burger stall and a Tesco Express on the quayside at the Royal Docks. And it continues to support the needs of our growing city and in turn helps London to function as the engine room of the UK's economy.
London is naturally proud of its cablecar network, which is one of the largest and most accessible in the world. Our fleet of gondolas uses innovation and new green technology to minimise its impact on the environment whilst transporting literally thousands every day. The cablecar remains friendly and flexible, and is able to adapt to the challenges of operating above a constantly changing riverscape, except at times of medium to high winds.
Danny Price, TfL's Head of the Emirates Airline, said: 'This is a special year for a very special means of transport which is celebrating its 3rd anniversary. The cablecar has a very special place in the hearts of Londoners, and it is always a great pleasure to see the delight on the faces of our passengers whenever some of them turn up.'
Debbie Mason, TfL's Managing Director for Customer Experience, said: 'In the year in which every ticket office on the tube network will be shut down, it's good to know that the Emirates Airline continues to support a ticket office at both ends, plus a staffed desk at the top of the escalator at North Greenwich station for flogging boarding passes to potential passengers who might not otherwise notice the white elephant five minutes walk away.'
A range of gifts and souvenirs inspired by London's iconic cablecar are now available from the London Transport Museum shop. These include gondola-shaped cufflinks, a routemap tea towel and a mug imprinted with the Year of the Cablecar logo. Visitors are however warned that there are no cablecar-related souvenirs in the cafe at the Emirates Aviation Experience, as this only sells over-priced gifts relating to a luxury foreign-owned airline.
Working in partnership with the London Transport Museum, an exciting season of events has been scheduled across the forthcoming twelve months to truly bring the Year of the Cablecar to life. Book now to avoid disappointment.
January: The Emirates Pop-up Boutique - London's finest entrepreneurs will be selling their bijou goodies from a new High Street in the sky. February: Valentines on the Airline - For only £88, lovehearts can grab the opportunity to book a cabin for two (plus a free glass of Prosecco) March: Annual Maintenance Closure - Fear not, oh regular commuter, we'll be putting on a replacement bus service via the Blackwall Tunnel. April: Hillingdon Special - As a special thankyou, all residents of Uxbridge and South Ruislip will be able to ride the cablecar for free (offer expires May 7th) May: Royal Docks Spring Festival - Some food vans and a morris dancer welcome you to the godforsaken post-industrial shores of Silvertown. June: Third Birthday Experience - To commemorate the Airline's early years, we'll be turning off the audio feature tour so you can enjoy the view in silence. July: Cablecar Sculpture Trail - Painted model cabins will be placed all across the capital, as a summer-long reminder that the cablecar still exists. August: The Garden Cablecar - By sticking a potplant in each cabin, the Airline becomes a magical cross-river garden (in conjunction with Joanna Lumley Enterprises) September: Night Airline - To link with the tube's new overnight service, and to help get partygoers home, the cablecar now runs 24 hours at weekends. October: Back To The Future Marathon - On October 21st, come and watch the entire film trilogy while crossing the Thames 38 times (hoverboard optional). November: Emirates Gold Treasure Hunt - We're hiding a gold bar in one of the cabins daily, and if that doesn't boost passenger numbers nothing will. December: Santa's Grotto - Fly across the Thames to meet Father Christmas in his North Pole igloo, get a cheap gift and then fly back... that's Christmas sorted.
Note For Editors
• The Emirates Airline is the most successful cablecar in London, and has the highest passenger appreciation index of any aerial-based TfL service.
• The name of the Emirates Airline's regular commuter can be provided on request.
• If you feel like having an easy afternoon, we'd be much obliged if you could regurgitate this press release in your social media feed.
• Please come again. There's always plenty of room.
