Canidelo–Arrábida cable car in Gaia to cost 'zero' to the council, says Luís Filipe Menezes

Luís Filipe Menezes, the Mayor of Gaia, says the future Canidelo–Arrábida cable car link will cost the council "zero". The construction and operation of the transport system, he explained, will be concessioned to private operators.

Concession model and private investment

Menezes expects the private funding required to deliver the new cable car project in Gaia to be in the region of €90 million. The concessionaire - to be selected through a public tender due to be launched by August - "will be funded per kilometre and per number of users" who use the service.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of a housing handover ceremony held on Tuesday at Jardim do Morro.

Canidelo–Arrábida cable car route, demand and tourism

The Mayor believes there will be plenty of investors keen to bid, given the strong demand in the area the line will serve. The connection, announced by Menezes on social media, will start at Pedras Amarelas beach and, passing by Lavadores beach, Douro Marina, Cais da Afurada and Jardins da Arrábida, will end at the metro station on the future Linha Rubi next to Arrábida Shopping.

"We are talking about almost 60,000 potential users," he estimates. He also stresses that the new cable car will be "another element in the tourist promotion of the wider metropolitan area and the municipality", which he says will further increase investor interest.

Capacity and integration with Andante

According to Luís Filipe Menezes, Gaia’s new cable car will be able to carry up to 15,000 people per hour, in cabins holding between 12 and 14 passengers, with spaces for wheelchairs and bicycles. The mobility solution will be integrated into the metropolitan public transport system, making it possible to use it with an Andante pass.

Future plans: second cable car over the Estrada Nacional 222

Menezes also said he would like, in the future, to move ahead with a second cable car over the Estrada Nacional 222, linking Avintes to the D. João II metro station in central Gaia. The aim would be "to unlock mobility, with quality, for residents of Crestuma, Lever, Olival, Sandim, Pedroso Norte and Oliveira do Douro Sul".

Although he does not want to commit to a date for that project, the Mayor believes it may be possible to launch it "at the end of the term".