The world's first cross-border cable car will travel from Russia to China in under 8 minutes

 

 

 

 

Traveling between Russia and China is about to get a lot more scenic. The world's first cross-border cable car is coming, giving passengers a unique perspective of the two ｃountries below.

 

The cable car will run between Heihe in northeast China and Blagoveshchensk in Russia, carrying passengers over the Amur River to give them a birds eye view of the water often frozen over during winter and the cities on either side.

 

Journey time between the cities will be approximately seven and a half minutes, while actual travel time will be three and a half minutes.

 

Each cabin can carry up to 60 passengers, with extra space for luggage, and cars will leave every 15 minutes.

 

Designed by Dutch architects UNStudio, the Blagoveshchensk cable car terminal is built over several levels and features an elevated viewing platform looking over the Amur towards Heihe. The design also incorporates terraces and green plateaus as well as restaurants and a sky garden.

 

"From a distance, passengers will see a memorable facade that faces the city of Heihe," Russian consulting company Strelka KB, who helped to manage the project said.

 

Ben van Berkel, founder and principal architect at UNStudio, said the cable car would be the first ever to join two ｃountries and cultures.

 

"Cable car systems provide a new form of public transport that is sustainable, extremely fast, reliable and efficient. Although primarily a pragmatic solution, cable cars are also a very congenial way to travel as they enable us to see and experience our cities in a whole new way," added van Berkel.

 

UNStudio has also completed cable car designs for Gothenburg, Sweden, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

 

The project, which is being managed by Russian consulting company Strelka KB is already in motion. UNStudio told CNN that the company will work further on the design, while construction on the cable car and its terminals is expected to start in 2020.

 

 

Image source : dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_1100,c_fill,g_auto,h_619,ar_16:9/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F190730041404-01-cable-car-russia-china-intl-scli-page-top.jpg

Article source :  edition.cnn.com/travel/article/russia-china-cable-car-scli/index.html

 

 

Vocabulary :

1. Facade : The face of a building especially the front that looks onto a street or open space

2. Pragmatic : Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a practical way

3. Congenial : Pleasant or agreeable, interests that is similar to one’s own

 

 

Questions : 

1. Approximately how long is the journey time between both cities?

2. How many passengers can each cabin accommodate?

3. What are some benefits of having cable cars as a mode of transportation?

4. Have you even used a cable car?

5. Would you like to see cable cars connecting cities in South Korea?