Seeing the city from above

The newest and possibly most exhilarating views of London hover into sight with a gut-wrenching lurch and reassuring words from the attendant – who pointed out where we could find the panic button should crossing the Thames on Britain’s first urban cable car become a little too exciting.

‘‘Welcome aboard the Emirates Air Line. We will be reaching a cruising altitude of up to 295ft,’’ the intercom announced. In an instant the car began its climb from the Greenwich Peninsula towards the Royal Docks along a 1.1 kilometre cable stretched across the river. The gondola wobbled alarmingly as it crossed the first 90-metre pier sunk in the riverbed. Wind and drizzle whipped the glass, but soon all was forgotten as the cabin opened up a new perspective on the capital.

To the west, a wall of skyscrapers pinpointed the financial heart of London; Canary Wharf, the NatWest Tower, the Gherkin, the Shard, all seen as never before from an elevated perch down river. To the north, London’s newbuild developments emerged from the haze over the Olympic Park; Anish Kapoor’s Orbit tower reduced in scale from my seat on the first overground river crossing to be opened since the Millennium Bridge. The Thames Barrier glinted to the east and The O2 and commuter suburbs trailed away to the south.

Dignitaries including Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, and Tim Clark, President of Emirates airline, which sponsored the link in a 10-year deal worth £36 million (NZ$71m), hailed the launch in a swirl of superlatives. The £45m (NZ$88m) structure was ‘‘iconic’’, ‘‘must-see’’, ‘‘exhilarating’’, ‘‘breathtaking’’, ‘‘world class’’, ‘‘fantastic’’, they said.

The views are all those things but they also expose the gritty reality of London: the barge carrying tonnes of recycled litter along the river, the diggers crushing rubbish in a dump by the docks, the haulage yard, cranes and piles of rubble, abandoned industrial plants along the River Lea, the council estates of two impoverished London boroughs as well as the glass balconies of wharfside apartments.

It may not be picture postcard perfect, but that is London. ‘‘You say it is not an attractive view to show investors, but it is quite the opposite,’’ the Mayor said.

‘‘It is unique and I see a lot of cities around the world saying, ‘ Oh, we’d better have a look at this one’,’’ Mr Clark said. ‘‘This has got to be on the wish list of every tourist as well as the regeneration of the two communities on either side of the river.’’

The cars can carry 2500 people an hour across the Thames and will connect two Olympic venues, The O2 and ExCel. While Transport for London (TfL) met the full cost of construction, the lion’s share will be clawed back through the sponsorship deal and £8m of European development funding.

Its backers say the cable car was the fastest possible way of creating a link across the river. They hope it will become as popular with commuters as tourists and are offering ‘‘frequent flyer’’ concession boarding passes.

TfL insists that its secondary power supplies, emergency drive system and backup gearbox will prevent breakdown. But if cars do ever get stuck, climbing teams are on stand-by to reach passengers within 30 minutes. As a last resort, passengers would be clipped into harnesses and lowered down ropes to rescue teams in the river.