“It creates a ski atmosphere with the heat”, laughs Orlando, rather proud of his formula. Like most of the inhabitants of Saint-Denis, this student at the University of La Réunion has not yet become familiar with the exotic vision of the cable car cabins, of the same model as those of the mountain stations, passing over the flamboyant trees and coconut trees in the Moufia district, for operational tests. So much so that Papang, the name retained in reference to the only raptor nesting on the island by the vote of future users, is still abundantly photographed by the Dionysians before dissemination on social networks.. “When I share “stories” on Instagram, I am answered: “But where are you?” », also laughs Marie-Laëtitia, a communication student from Mauritius.
Initially scheduled for two days before Christmas, the inauguration of this “first urban cable car in Reunion” took place on Tuesday, March 15. The additional safety tests having proved conclusive, the prefectural opening order was signed.
One euro per trip
This line, designed by the French system designer Poma, extends over 2.7 kilometers between the working-class Chaudron district, to the east of Saint-Denis, and that of Bois de Nèfles, on the heights of the city, which is also densely populated. . The whole trip takes fourteen minutes. For five stations. Each of the 46 cabins has ten seats with benches on either side, which can be lifted to accommodate people with reduced mobility. Nearly 6,000 users are expected daily, between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., to travel at a maximum height of 50 meters above the ground. The ticket has been set at 1 euro regardless of the route. “Social pricing”, specifies the Intermunicipal Community of Northern Reunion (Cinor), project manager. As for the bus, which is free in Saint-Denis for children under 22.
The Papang project was inspired by the urban cable car of Medellin, in Colombia, a city whose geography is similar to that of Saint-Denis, in order to also open up the districts on the heights.
The project, which began in January 2020, at the start of the health crisis, represents an investment of 50 million euros. Before the upcoming commissioning of Téléo, Toulouse’s urban cable car, Papang marks the arrival of a new mode of transport, 100% electric, in French cities, at a time when many elected officials are thinking about this public transport. Until then, only Brest, with its line connecting two banks of the Penfeld, and Grenoble, with its “bubbles” rising from the city center to the Bastille hill, were equipped with this type of infrastructure. But on much more limited routes.
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