For Comparison
WhistlerThe Peak to Peak is a 3S gondola that has a 3 km span between towers and 4.4 km total length. Built in 2007 and 2008 for CDN$51M, it can carry ~2000 pphpd (passengers per hour per direction).
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LondonKnown as the Emirates Air Line (through a£36M sponsorship deal), this travels over the River Thames with a 2,500 pphpd capacity, was built for ~£65M, and has operating costs of less than £2M per year (slight operating surplus).
No expense was spared to make this architecturally stunning for the Olympics, and the need for a high clearance above the river also increased the cost dramatically, though a less expensive monocable (MDG) technology was used. |
PortlandThis aerial tram was built in just 15 months, and has already carried over 16 million passengers since 2007 (2.1 million in 2016 alone). Although tram technology is expected to be more expensive than 3S, this has been criticized for being more expensive than the longer and higher capacity Jackson Hole tram. Hospital construction constrained the Portland design, it needed to cross an interstate, and significant overruns due to design changes pushed costs up to $57M. Still, the community seems to generally consider this project a success.
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Other proposals
Cable a Televal will help commuters access the Paris Metro with a five station, 2.8 mile line for $129M (Video).
See this analysis of a $100M 3S system (with $3.5M annual operating costs) for Vancouver, British Columbia.
Toulouse, France has signed a deal for a 1.8 mile, three station 3S line for $120M (previously, elected officials had approved $59M for the project).
A monocable system was proposed for the DC area (between Georgetown and Rosslyn), but was not approved by the Arlington County Board.
A monocable aerial has been studied as an option for the Miami-Dade area, and the report discusses the practicality of a system in an urban, tropical environment.
This best practices report for Gothenburg, Sweden discusses security/safety controls and construction times for previous projects.
See this analysis of a $100M 3S system (with $3.5M annual operating costs) for Vancouver, British Columbia.
Toulouse, France has signed a deal for a 1.8 mile, three station 3S line for $120M (previously, elected officials had approved $59M for the project).
A monocable system was proposed for the DC area (between Georgetown and Rosslyn), but was not approved by the Arlington County Board.
A monocable aerial has been studied as an option for the Miami-Dade area, and the report discusses the practicality of a system in an urban, tropical environment.
This best practices report for Gothenburg, Sweden discusses security/safety controls and construction times for previous projects.
Projections for Honolulu
When considering the cost of other gondola systems, it's important to remember that they generally have just two or three stations (with a big exception in La Paz, Bolivia). Since there is no track, the stations represent the majority of the cost. Station costs for the rail are listed in the interim plan (see page 77) submitted to the FTA in June and range from $12M to $280M, with the majority in the $20-40M range. Costs depend significantly on how high each station is off the ground and whether park and ride facilities are included. In general, aerial stations will be less expensive than rail stations because they can be closer to the ground and can have a smaller platform area due to continuous boarding.
This system will primarily be a cost effective solution for daily commuters, but it will also be a fun experience for tourists who want to get out of Waikiki to explore restaurants and shops in other areas. Commuters will primarily ride during the morning and evening, with more tourist ridership during the middle of the day. Day passes are likely to cost about $16, and a bundle of ten rides $25. Fares for kama'aina will be more affordable when bundled with the rail fare or purchased as a monthly pass, and there may be a special fare for students, faculty, and staff of the UH system.
Projections for ridership from the rail to Waikiki and UH have been generated for the HUB proposal. Though the HUB was intended to cover a wider area and we do not anticipate aerial ridership to be as high as their projections, we do hope to serve a significant number of the estimated 21,612 people who are projected to board at Ala Moana each day in 2030 (page 60 of the interim plan). The Waikiki Regional Circulator Study thoroughly describes problems from competing modes of transit on crowded surface streets, and offers many creative solutions to help put pedestrians first and reduce traffic.
By situating the route in an area with high transportation needs, we anticipate that we will cover our operating costs with no subsidies required, and substantially benefit the community and area businesses.
This system will primarily be a cost effective solution for daily commuters, but it will also be a fun experience for tourists who want to get out of Waikiki to explore restaurants and shops in other areas. Commuters will primarily ride during the morning and evening, with more tourist ridership during the middle of the day. Day passes are likely to cost about $16, and a bundle of ten rides $25. Fares for kama'aina will be more affordable when bundled with the rail fare or purchased as a monthly pass, and there may be a special fare for students, faculty, and staff of the UH system.
Projections for ridership from the rail to Waikiki and UH have been generated for the HUB proposal. Though the HUB was intended to cover a wider area and we do not anticipate aerial ridership to be as high as their projections, we do hope to serve a significant number of the estimated 21,612 people who are projected to board at Ala Moana each day in 2030 (page 60 of the interim plan). The Waikiki Regional Circulator Study thoroughly describes problems from competing modes of transit on crowded surface streets, and offers many creative solutions to help put pedestrians first and reduce traffic.
By situating the route in an area with high transportation needs, we anticipate that we will cover our operating costs with no subsidies required, and substantially benefit the community and area businesses.