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Key figures

Origin and history

The cable car of Grenoble Bastille, nicknamed the bubbles of Grenoble for its spherical cabins, is a tourist transport linking the City Garden to the hill of the Bastille, with a elevation of 266 meters. Inaugurated on 29 September 1934, he was one of the first urban cable cars in France, carried by Mayor Paul Mistral (died 1922) and his successor Léon Martin. Its objective: to unlock the city and enhance the fort of the Bastille, historic site offering a view to 300°.

The project was born in 1930 at a municipal council chaired by Paul Mistral, inspired by alpine cable cars such as the Aiguille du Midi (1924). The site, fortified in the 19th century by General Haxo, combines military heritage and landscape attraction. The stations, designed by architect Jean Benoit, are built by the French-German consortium Bleichert-Neyret-Beylier. The lower station, near Isère, recalls the Tower of Isle, while the superior plays a tourist role with a restaurant set up in the former barracks.

At its opening, the cable car uses two blue dodecagonal cabins (15 seats), replaced in 1951 by yellow and red models (21 seats), which were mediated during the 1968 Olympics. A major overhaul took place in 1976: the Poma Telepulse system introduced spherical cabins (the bubbles), rotating and accessible to disabled people. The architect Group 6 designs a new lower glazed station, while the superior accommodates counterweights of 46 tons. These bubbles, still in service today, become a symbol of Grenoble.

The cable car experienced two media breakdowns: in 1976, a derailment during the inauguration of the bubbles mobilized helicopters and firefighters to evacuate 50 passengers; In 2014, a 104 km/h bulge caused a new derailment without a victim. Despite these incidents, its safety is reinforced by annual inspections and evacuation exercises, as in 2015 (confused with a real rescue by BFM TV).

With an annual traffic of more than 300,000 passengers (pic to 397 270 in 1949), the cable car is a major tourist tool. It operates 4,000 hours a year (compared to 1,200 on a national average), with a speed of 6 m/s and a journey of 3-4 minutes. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted its exploitation, revealing a 1951 amateur film about its history. Today, it remains an emblem of innovation in Grenoble, combining industrial heritage and modernity.

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