Aerial tramway of the Plateau de Bure, Cable transport system in French Alps, France.
The aerial tramway of the Plateau de Bure is a cable transport system in the French Alps that links a valley to the Plateau de Bure, sitting at around 2550 meters above sea level. The system runs on a line of pylons and carries both passengers and cargo to the observatory located on the plateau.
The tramway was built to support the installation and ongoing operation of a radio astronomy facility on the plateau. Before it existed, reaching the site with heavy equipment was extremely difficult due to the terrain.
The tramway serves the researchers of the observatory and is not a tourist transport. Those who ride it are generally part of a scientific team, which gives the plateau the feel of a remote working station rather than a public destination.
Access to the tramway is not open to the general public and requires prior authorization, as the system operates mainly for scientific purposes. Weather on the plateau can change rapidly, so warm and windproof clothing is a practical necessity.
Some of the antenna components used at the observatory were brought up piece by piece in the tramway's cabins, as no other route could handle equipment of that size and weight. The cabins were specifically designed to accommodate oversized scientific loads.
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