SYSTRA and the consortium led by the contractor Poma inaugurated Téléo, the urban cable car in Toulouse, which is being commissioned by Tisséo, the authority responsible for organising transport in the greater Toulouse area.
After years of study, design and construction, the cable car will welcome its first passengers tomorrow. This engineering success was made possible by the consortium members, to which SYSTRA, an international engineering and consultancy group specialising in public transport and mobility solutions, contributed its expertise.
Téléo links Oncopole to Paul Sabatier University (30,000 students) via the teaching hospital of Rangueil (with 210,000 medical consultations per year) in just 10 minutes instead of 30 minutes by road. These three major sites are thus connected to the existing transport network (metro and bus) as well as to the main structures located nearby: the Toulouse University Cancer Institute, the Marchant Hospital, the Pierre Fabre and Sanofi Laboratories, and the Faculty of Medicine.
“Cable cars are a growing market, and with Téléo SYSTRA is delivering its first urban cable car project in France. French local authorities are fortunate to have access to cutting-edge technology and to be able to offer their residents transport solutions that are increasingly low in carbon. Our Group has made the cable car a capacity mode in its own right and has integrated it into its range of transport solutions. The upstream studies we are conducting are there to ensure its technical feasibility and guarantee the long-term sustainability of the project.” – Didier Traube, President, SYSTRA France.
High-Performance Technology for a Sustainable Mode of Transport
With Téléo, users in the greater Toulouse area have access to a fast, sustainable, and reliable transport service. The special feature of Téléo is that it is a detachable 3S cable car, i.e. with two carrying cables and one hauling cable (3S for ‘3 Seile’ in German, meaning 3 cables). This is a rather rare technology, used only on a dozen lines worldwide, combining the technique of detachable ski lifts with single-cable cable cars.
With only 5 pylons installed on its 3km route, Téléo is a technical feat. The Téléo pylons, designed by SYSTRA France, are unique in France: built from metal caissons, they are up to 70.5m high and are fitted with tuned dynamic dampers, a system which reduces the movement of the pylons under the effect of the wind. The design, in the shape of a four-pointed sceptre, was developed in a wind tunnel and differs from the classic latticework of its kind. Ensuring maximum comfort for passengers, Téléo will be able to operate in winds of up to 109km/h, compared with 70km/h for a single-cable equivalent.
A Project Adapted to its Environment
SYSTRA France’s teams also took into consideration the many environmental issues involved in this project, in particular the fact that it will be passing over the flood plain of the Garonne, a Natura 2000 area, a Regional Nature Reserve, a Biotope protection site, and the perimeter of a protected historical monument. Téléo, therefore, has a low environmental impact, with an extremely small footprint.
Safety at the Hear of the Project
SYSTRA France took part in all the technical tests, contributing its expertise in particular on metal structures, stations, pylons, underground structures, and administrative and regulatory safety procedures. The test campaign that began in July 2021 in Toulouse, between the Paul Sabatier University and the Bellevue high school, made it possible to secure the system before installing the cabins.
“Safety is a key concern for the consortium, and SYSTRA has checked and validated the correct operation of each piece of equipment on the ground, along the cables and in the cabins.” – Charles-Alexandre Cayatte, Head of the Téléo project for SYSTRA.
