Cities
Experience the Urban Cable Car Virtually
As is well known, Buga GmbH is working on an urban cable car for the Federal Horticultural Show in the German city of Wuppertal. At the same time, the project company has made it a priority to ensure as much transparency as possible in order to involve the public and, above all, to gain their support.
For this reason, representatives regularly attend the meetings of the district councils (BV) that will be particularly affected by the Buga. This is reported by the Westdeutsche Zeitung.
There, politicians have already been shown vivid 3D images of the current cable car plans using virtual reality (VR) headsets. The public has also had the opportunity to do so since last Friday.
A virtual view from the cabin window
Greater Public Participation and Planning for the Cable Car
In September, new public participation initiatives for the Federal Horticultural Show will also begin. At the same time, planning for the Federal Horticultural Show cable car is moving forward:
- Soil surveys: The analyses currently underway are providing important data for the foundation of the construction project.
- Search for an operator: The city is in talks with potential concessionaires. The goal is to entrust the planning, construction, and operation entirely to a single company.
- Framework conditions: The future operator must comply with historic preservation and environmental sustainability requirements, but will also have the freedom to develop its own creative concepts.
The grounds of the Federal Horticultural Show:
The cable car runs through Zones 2 and 3.
Valley Station
- Relieving Traffic Congestion: A new parking garage on the current parking lot site is intended to sustainably reduce parking pressure in the Zooviertel neighborhood
- Location of the Valley Station: The parking garage structure will have a cubic shape. The cable car’s valley station will be integrated into the sixth floor, 16 meters above ground, where it will also serve as a gondola garage.
- Architecture: Instead of historicist facades, the Buga project features a modern, green exterior that blends unobtrusively into the surroundings of the Wilhelminian-style buildings.
Mid-station (Sambatrasse)
- Design & Integration: The station spans the Sambatrasse. The design is visually inspired by the observation tower at the lion enclosure—featuring plenty of wood and a green roof.
- Accessibility: An elevator provides step-free access.
- Route: At this point, the cable car makes a 45-degree turn to head toward the mountain station.
Mountain Station
- Design: The mountain station is planned as a low-profile, functional structure that offers seating areas and bicycle parking and echoes the wooden aesthetic of the mid-station.
Timeline and Legal Hurdles
- RFP: The bidding documents are currently being prepared with the aim of publishing the request for proposals by the end of the year, if possible.
- Zoning Plan & Politics: Work on the zoning plan is proceeding in parallel. In November, the political bodies (including the Elberfeld-West district council) are scheduled to decide on the resolution to publish the plan – key milestone for the overall project.
- Comprehensive Studies: The project is currently based on studies that have been finalized or are nearing completion (including those on traffic, major accidents, cold air, species protection, and landscape conservation).
- Parallel Process: Due to the enormous time pressure, tender preparation and urban land-use planning are proceeding simultaneously. A legally binding zoning plan is absolutely essential, as contracts or concessions with cable car operators can only be signed once planning permission is in place, in order to avoid significant financial default risks.
