January 2013
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ELEVATOR WORLD
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The unique aspects of the project called for innovative
construction techniques and a number of firsts in the in-
dustry. For example, the erection of the South Tower re-
quired the installation of the largest lifting-capacity
crawler crane in Europe. The crane, which runs on tracks
(instead of wheels) to aid mobility, was put together on
site over a period of two weeks and delivered using more
than 70 articulated lorries. Its reach is 120 m, with a height
of 183 m. The large temporary structure, dubbed LR 1350,
had a maximum lifting capacity of 1,350 mT -- the equiva-
lent of 193 Routemaster buses. The immense lift capacity
was required to lift pieces of each tower into place, some
of which weighed up to 68 mT each.
Both areas surrounding Emirates Air Line have been
earmarked for several projects with the Royal Victoria
Docks, selected as one of the new Local Enterprise Zones.
The line will play a key role in supporting these projects
by providing a quicker and more-direct link. It will also
provide access to a range of entertainment, professional
and leisure opportunities. On its first day in operation, the
system transported more than 20,000 people and has
proved to be reliable and effective. Between June 28 and
August 12, 2012, the system carried more than 700,000
people.
Transportation System
The transportation system consists of a continuous single
rope measuring 50 mm, to which up to 34 cabins can be at-
tached. The system is efficient and, as with a traction eleva-
tor, only has to provide power to move the out-of-balance
load when the cabins are out on the line and equally spaced.
The system had to be fully accessible for persons with
mobility impairments and has a feature that allows cabins
to stop for loading and unloading, whereas in normal op-
eration, the cabins keep moving slowly in the station areas.
In order to achieve this, an anti-collision system had to be
designed into the software.
The view from the cabins approaching the south station
Continued
