Russia and China to be Connected by The Worlds First Trans-Country Cable Car

We have all heard about or even travelled on transnational flights, trains, cruises and buses. However, Russia and China have notched up the game of international travel by building the world&rsquos first trans-country cable car.

Heihe in China and Blagoveshchensk in Russia are to be connected across the Amur River by the world&rsquos first trans-country cable car. Consisting of 2 lines, it will have 4 cabins carrying 60 passengers each along with their luggage in under 8 minutes. While the actual travel time from station to station is said to be 3 and a half minutes, providing a bird&rsquos eye view of the Amur River and the cities of either side of it. And like any other kind of international travel, passengers will have to pass through a security check to access the cable car.

Following an international competition, Dutch architecture design network, UNStudio have designed the terminal in Blagoveshchensk, Russia. According to them, the design is inspired from the annual freezing of the Amur River and will feature terraces restaurants, sky gardens and an elevated viewing platform looking over the Amur towards Heihe. 

According to Ben van Berkel, UNStudio&rsquos founder and head architect, the Blagoveshchensk terminal will not only respond to the immediate urban location, but also become an expression of cultural identity and a podium of intermingling of cultures. &ldquoCable car systems provide a new form of public transport that is sustainable, extremely fast, reliable and efficient,&rdquo he added.

The Blagoveshchensk terminal will be managed by Russia based urban planning and strategy consultancy Strela KB.

While the construction of the cable car system and the terminals in both Russia and China is expected to begin next year, the designer for the Heihe Terminal is China has not been confirmed as yet.