Hanoi’s transport watchdog has rejected a proposal from a foreign firm to build a cable car network over the Hong (Red) River, the iconic waterway that separates the city’s Long Bien and Hoan Kiem districts, weeks after it was first submitted.

The proposal was put forward by POMA Group, an 80-year-old French company which specializes in ropeway transportation, in June as a means of offering an alternative to commuters hoping to avoid traffic congestion in the city.

The submission included the development of a cable car link from the Long Bien bus station on Tran Nhat Duat Street in Hoan Kiem District, over the Hong River, and connecting to Gia Lam bus station in Long Bien District.

There are currently two bridges, Long Bien and Chuong Duong, crossing the river near the proposed location.

The cable car link was expected to span five kilometers, including a 1.2-kilometer gondola line above the river, with pillars ranging from 50-100 meter tall.

The Long Bien bus station on Tran Nhat Duat Street in Hoan Kiem District and the Gia Lam bus station in Long Bien District are seen in this Google Maps screenshot.

Each cabin would have been capable of carrying 25-30 passengers, equating to about 7,000 passengers an hour, according to the company’s calculation.

POMA also booked held a meeting on an undisclosed date with the Hanoi Department of Transport’s leaders and professional agencies to present the project, according to the department’s director Vu Van Vien.

After weeks of consideration, the department informed the city’s administration of its decision to reject the proposal.

The transport watchdog explained that the project, at this time, is not in line with the city’s urban plan.

Particularly, there has been no anticipation of space for such a cable car link among a number of Hanoi’s zonings, including urban transport and public transport development and the Long Bien and Hoan Kiem Districts’ zoning. 

In addition, the proposed ropeway system’s direction almost duplicates a section of railway line No.1 (Ngoc Hoi – Gia Lam route) of the Hanoi urban railway project, which is 15.4 kilometers in length and in its detailed design phase.

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