Urban cable car Heilbronn: Preliminary planning can begin

In its recent meeting the city council approved the preliminary planning phase for an urban cable car in Heilbronn. This marks the next step towards a forward-looking mobility project that will connect the city center with key educational, innovation, and employment hubs, and sustainably strengthen public transportation.

A new connection for Heilbronn

How will we get around Heilbronn in the future, and how will we reach the emerging AI center IPAI? The city has been grappling with this question for some time. One possible answer could soon be a cable car system running above people's heads. With the city council's decision, preliminary planning for an urban cable car system is now underway. This is based on a comprehensive feasibility study that assesses the cable car as a suitable and sustainable addition to the public transportation system.

Mayor Harry Mergel sees this as a great opportunity for the city: “With the planned cable car, we want to break new ground in mobility. As an urban cable car fully integrated into the public transport system, it would be unique in Germany. At the same time, it connects the city center with the education campus, the Wohlgelegen future park, the Neckargartach district, the Neckarau area, and the emerging Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI). This will strengthen Heilbronn as a location for education, innovation, and AI.”

Fast, climate-friendly and direct

The planned route will be approximately 4.9 kilometers long and will connect six stations. Stops are planned near the main train station at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, at the education campus, in the Wohlgelegen future park, in Neckargartach, in Neckarau, and at the IPAI campus. The journey from the city center to IPAI will take only about 14 minutes. The cable car will be fully integrated into the existing public transport network. Passengers can use it with standard public transport tickets.

The feasibility study also concludes that the cable car represents a space-saving, low-emission, and efficient solution compared to the alternatives examined. It creates new connections between key future locations and complements the existing bus and light rail network.

The municipal council gives the go-ahead for the next phase.

With the city council's decision, the preliminary planning phase of the project now begins. In the coming months, the city will issue a Europe-wide tender for the planning services for the cable car technology, as well as for architecture and traffic planning. Simultaneously, further expert reports will be prepared, examining, among other things, the technical implementation, urban integration, traffic, and environmental aspects. Further decisions can only be made based on the results of these reports.

Citizens will also be involved in the further planning process. The city will provide regular updates on the project's progress and offer opportunities for participation.

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