On 26 August 2020, the Chamonix municipal council discussed the project to replace the Charamillon gondola.
Eric Fournier, the mayor of Chamonix, announced that the public injury was over and that the investigating commissioner had given a favourable opinion to start the work.
The project to replace the Charamillon gondola dates back to 2017, when it provoked a public outcry among the Le Tour residents.
Therefore, the project was postponed until 2020.
A public inquiry into the project to replace the Charamillon gondola and associated facilities on the Balme ski area took place from 24 June to 24 July 2020.
Philippe Jacquemin, investigating commissioner, was present at the public injury. He has given a favourable opinion to start the work, however with some recommendations such as the installation of solar panels on the roofs of the arrival and departure stations.
“A very good idea”, according to Eric Fournier. Construction is due to begin in June 2021, and the new Charamillon gondola is scheduled to begin operating on Christmas 2022.
The flow of the Charamillon gondola will double. Benoit Borrel, technical project manager of the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc (CMB) estimates that “today, the actual flow of the device is around 1,000 to 1,100 people per hour, and the speed of the new device will be 2,000 to 2,200 people per hour. So we're really going to double the flow". The future cabins will be ten-seaters.
Source @Le Dauphine
