The future of urban transport is a real social and environmental issue and is at the heart of ongoing discussions among communities. The pioneering city of Medellín was the first municipality to use a new urban mobility solution by integrating an overhead ropeway line into its network in 2004. Metrocable’s first line, “Line K”, which is connected to the metro, created a link between the inhabitants and the city centre. This new urban mobility, made possible by the new lines, has reinforced the social cohesion in local areas by connecting sectors that had long been isolated.

After the success of this first gondola lift, Medellín continued to develop the “proyecto de Ciudad” city project by adding 5 other lines to the network: line J (2007), line L (2010), line H (2016), line M (2019) and finally line P (2021).

Open 7 days a week, 19 hours a day, the Metrocable provides the inhabitants of Medellín with a safe, fast and efficient mode of transport between the city centre and its outskirts. The network of cable cars now stretches over 14 kilometres, directly connected to the different lines of the Medellín Metro by multimodal stations. Each year, more than 220 million people use the city's transport system, demonstrating a successful social inclusion model that offers a new quality of life to the city's residents through social connections and increasingly attractive neighbourhoods.

Thanks to this sustainable mobility solution and its proven energy efficiency, air pollution has been cut for the inhabitants of Medellín. This is because the extent of the Metrocable transport system is such that it contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions and improves air quality by offering an alternative to road traffic.

The Symphony model cabins will be able to accommodate a total of 34 people with 20 seats, spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility and even spaces for bikes. They will travel at a speed of 25 km/h and come to a complete stop at the station to make boarding and alighting as safe as possible. The symphony model is completely silent and will offer passengers a safe and comfortable travel experience, as well as a panoramic view of the city. The carrier will also be equipped with an anti-vertigo filter to ensure that even those most sensitive to heights can enjoy the ride.

The metallic blue POMA cabin boasts a simple and elegant design by Paolo Pininfarina, the famous Italian Ferrari designer. Like all of our cabin ranges, Symphony cabins are produced in France, at the Sigma subsidiary based in Veyrins-Thuellin near Grenoble, guaranteeing POMA know-how and expertise.

Three kilometres long, the Téléo line connects Paul Sabatier University and the Oncopole in just a 10-minute ride which crosses the Garonne river. The first 3S urban aerial tramway in France will provide a fast and reliable mode of transport at the heart of the public transport network in Toulouse.

Thanks to the future Téléo, the city of Toulouse is also offering residents an even cleaner, more sustainable mode of transport. With 8000 travellers expected each day, Toulouse's forthcoming aerial tramway will reduce ground traffic, therefore reducing Co2 emissions.

Namur residents will remember the first cable car installed in 1956 that took them to the top of the citadel up until 1997. Namur'snew gondola takes a different route today, rising over the Sambre and linking the city centre from Maurice Servais Square to the upper station on the Citadel's Esplanade, a stone's throw from the Digital Pavilion, a legacy from the Milan World Expo.

The gondola is both a useful link and an environmental plus, offering an alternative traffic route in the Walloon capital.

Designed to blend in with the urban landscape, the gondola's contemporary architecture respects this unique site. The two stations, built from Namur's typical red brick, blend discreetly with the surroundings. The technical parts of the gondola are well camouflaged and the ingenious design of the transparent glass surfaces allows perfect integration with the surrounding buildings. Careful attention has been paid to the installation of the towers. Of the four on the line, only one is obviously visible, the others merging discretely with the Terra Nova trees.

The designers were also careful to minimise the noise levels of the drive station. To reduce energy usage, the Diamond cabins are equipped with solar panels that power interior and exterior LED lighting.

The work site keeps moving forward with the achievement of several crucial steps. By the end of 2020, the municipal association CINOR (Communauté intercommunale Du Nord de la Réunion) and the FILAO-Group (Atelier Architectes, POMA and Egis) had completed the earthworks, the towers foundations' concrete work and a part of the assembly. To date, 42 towers have been installed out of the 42 planned and the 5 stations along the ride have been delivered.

Currently, the teams finalize the adjustments on the stations. As for the vehicles, in April, 46 cabins have been delivered on site and are now being assembled in the garage for their upcoming installation on the cable.

At the beginning of June, assisted by a drone, the teams will unwind the first cable between the towers. An unprecedented operation in our profession that our COMAG technicians master perfectly. Indeed, they have recently carried out the same intervention in the future Toulouse urban cable car project.

After the splicing that will complete the unwinding process, cabins can finally be hung on the cable, thereby giving to the locals an accurate idea of the final appearance of the future urban mobility system. Besides the system's technical and safety adjustments, the coming months will mainly be focused on the development of the areas around the stations. Constructions of park-and-ride facilities at Bancoul and Bois de Nèfles stations are planned as well as pedestrian walkways and the implementation of safety equipments in and around the stations. Le Chaudron bus station will also be redeveloped to fit the new adjustments. Thus, the commissioning of Saint-Denis de La Reunion gondola lift, planned for the second half of 2021, will offer a sustainable and multimodal transport solution to its users.

At the beginning of 2019, Hyundai Engineering & Construction awarded leading ropeway transportation company, POMA, the EPCI contract* to provide the 48 capsules for the world's newest and biggest observation wheel “Ain Dubai”.
POMA has been designing and building largescale projects in the Entertainment sector for many years. A project of this scale calls for the highest levels of technological expertise, combined with unparalleled know-how.

Forty-eight outsized and completely original capsules, each able to accommodate up to 40 people, were designed, built and installed in a record time of less than 24 months.

Innovating and designing exactly the right engineering solutions while guaranteeing safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, is part of POMA's DNA.

The Group has, in particular, fine-tuned its engineering expertise and its unique technical prowess in the sector through involvement in the delivery of numerous special projects:

• Big observation wheels in London with the London Eye and in Las Vegas with the High Roller
• Other complex projects, in particular the incredible British Airways i360 observation tower in Brighton…
• Regular provision of capsules for smaller observation wheels: Baku, Chicago, Hong Kong…

As well as mastering the technology to successfully complete complex projects, POMA benefits from an agile organization enabling close joint-construction with the customer or managing the Group's multicultural and multi-expert teams and its subcontractors, who, for the “Ain Dubai” project, were coordinated from France but based in seven countries on four different continents.

The design and manufacture of the 48 capsules for “Ain Dubai” was a fast track project, carried out in under two years. This project clearly demonstrates the French Group's ability to export its services, tackle innovative projects and handle tight deadlines.

Confronted by the uncertainty of the health crisis, POMA's teams had to adapt almost continuously to deliver the 48 capsules and limit the impact on the construction site to a minimum.

Mongolia's political and economic capital Ulaanbaatar has experienced rapid population growth due to an influx of nomadic people arriving from the steppe since the early 1990s.

This has resulted in Ulaanbaatar having nearly 1.5 million inhabitants, accounting for nearly half of the country's population, compared with 580,000 in 1990. The transition to a market economy since the 1990s and a succession of harsh winters precipitated the exodus of these low-income households to the edges of Ulaanbaatar.
These suburbs have become commonly known as “Ger districts” due to the multitude of traditional yurts to be found there, known as gers in Mongolia.

In a city featuring major obstacles (notably, the Tuul-Gol river and the Trans-Mongolian Railway), and with a relatively undeveloped transport network, this urban cable car system emerges as the most appropriate solution. With its silent, all-electric and low energy operation, ropeway transport is today an acknowledged and sustainable urban transport mode, capable of addressing specific problems of cities and with the added benefit of being quicker to implement than other forms of transport infrastructure.

The French Directorate General of the Treasury (DG Trésor), which supports French firms in the delivery of structurally transformational, eco-friendly and sustainable projects, therefore decided to finance this urban mobility project developed by the company POMA with the support of EGIS, for the benefit of Ulaanbaatar city council. 

The line, located to the west of the city, is 4.2 km long. It has two stations and 98 cabins.
It connects a historic, densely populated neighbourhood with a bus station and busy shopping centres to a rapidly developing area where the new town hall is located, along the main road leading to the airport.

This project addresses a crucial issue: despite their importance, these two areas are currently very poorly served. There is no structured public transport system, apart from a few bus routes, and traffic is heavily congested, with no direct road link between these neighbourhoods. The line is therefore part of a strategy to open up the area and improve mobility, in line with ongoing development programmes, in particular the redevelopment and densification plan financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Entirely managed by POMA, which is responsible for the design and construction of public and technical buildings with the support of local contractors, this turnkey project demonstrates our comprehensive expertise and our ability to carry out complex projects in demanding environments. As the infrastructure takes shape, local pride grows: a new form of mobility is emerging in Mongolia.