The cable car in Bonn is to run from Venusberg on the left bank of the Rhine over the Rhine to Beuel on the right bank. The project, in the planning of which citizens have already been involved in many ways, is being jointly managed by the City of Bonn and Stadtwerke Bonn.

"With the cable car for Bonn, we are planning a pioneering project, because nowhere else in Germany has integration into local transport been realized so far," says Anja Wenmakers, Managing Director of SWB Bus und Bahn and Group Managing Director, explaining the scope of the project. "With the Drees & Sommer SE team of experts, we want to successfully guide the complex process for a cable car integrated into public transport through to commissioning."

"Twelve environmental associations are backing us and our project. The NRW Ministry of Transport also sees the Bonn cable car as a promising pilot project. It is clear to everyone involved that we are breaking new ground in local transport and acting as a role model for other cities. We are paving the way for one of the most environmentally friendly means of transport in Germany," says Mayor Katja Dörner.

"We have already taken the opportunity to inspect the planned cable car route during a joint inspection. This allowed us to understand the special features and challenges on site and prepare for the next steps," said Sebastian Beck, Partner at Drees & Sommer SE. "We are currently reviewing and evaluating all plans and documents." Sebastian Beck has been involved in establishing urban cable cars in German cities for many years. For example, he contributed his expertise to the official guide "Urban cable cars" published by the Federal Ministry of Transport.

"Floating instead of standing: Urban cable cars get commuters to their destinations without traffic jams, relieve congestion on the roads and score points with climate-friendly green electricity. They are quick to build, open up previously neglected parts of the city and also offer a real highlight for tourists," emphasizes city planning officer Helmut Wiesner.

Drees & Sommer is responsible for program management, which includes general planning and project management services.

These are the steps being worked on
The project participants are currently coordinating with public bodies and authorities, and various preliminary reports and planning services are being commissioned and carried out in parallel, for example with regard to nature conservation, subsoil and geology, wind, noise and hydrology. The schedule and cost framework are also being specified and adjusted in the course of the current handover, as is the standardized assessment, which is also being updated. Following this, the focus will be on the so-called functional tender, after which a cable car manufacturer can be commissioned.

In the downstream planning approval procedure, which creates construction law, the interests of local residents along the route and public bodies are examined and weighed up. Experience has shown that the duration of the procedure can vary greatly and cannot be reliably predicted. The construction of the cable car itself will take a comparatively short time, as all the components of a cable car are prefabricated in the factory using standard processes and only the stations and foundations for the supports need to be built on site. Drees & Sommer is also evaluating the time of possible commissioning.

Drees & Sommer SE
Founded in 1970 and since then known as a sustainability pioneer and digitalization driver, the international company employs 6,500 people at over 70 locations. Interdisciplinary teams work on more than 6,800 projects worldwide to create a future worth living and to unite apparent opposites: tradition and future, economy and ecology, analog and digital, efficiency and well-being. As an entrepreneur within the company, we are committed to a personally responsible partnership. More at  www.dreso.com (opens in a new tab)

Information on the cable car project on the Internet
The city administration has published extensive information on the Internet at  bonn.de/seilbahn.