Cable car passenger numbers ridiculed

On 30 December The Daily Mail took aim at the cable car that spans the River Thames in east London, labelling it “the most pointless piece of public transport in Britain”. The paper’s justification for this criticism was that, according to a Freedom of Information request, “The total number of commuters using the panoramic Emirates Air Line to travel to work appears to have fallen to an all-time low – of none at all”.

“Why on earth was this white elephant – connecting two not very interesting places – built in the first place?” The Mail asked. “It’s a theme park ride. But it is hardly the role of our transport authorities to build funfair attractions.

“Perhaps its day will come,” the paper did suggest. “Perhaps, like its neighbour, the old Dome, the Air Line will evolve from a national joke into a national treasure. Perhaps TfL will eventually uproot it and put it somewhere genuinely useful. In the meantime, just sit back and enjoy the peace, the view and the emptiness on Boris’s East End ghost train.”