A Dutch architecture practice has unveiled new designs for the world's first international cable car set to connect Russia and China.
The cable car will run between Heihe, in the far north-eastern reaches of China, and Blagoveshchensk in Russia, taking in views of the Amur River, a waterway that marks the border between the two countries and often freezes over through the region's long, icy winters.
Four cabins — each able to hold 60 passengers plus luggage — will operate on two international lines connecting the two cities, with cars departing every 15 minutes.
The total journey will take about seven minutes, while actual travel time from station to station will be just three-and-a-half minutes.
The project is set to break ground in 2020 and is backed by Russian urban planning consultancy Strelka KB, who predict up to a million passengers will use the service each year.
While the architect of the Chinese terminal is yet to be announced, Amsterdam-based UNStudio has designed the multi-level Blagoveshchensk station, which features elevated viewing platforms, terraces, restaurants and sky gardens.
Ben van Berkel, founder and principal architect of UNStudio, likened the design to a floating "air bridge", with sweeping views of both cities a "beacon for joint prosperity".
"[The station will be] an expression of cultural identity and a podium for the intermingling of cultures," he said.
Cable cars are becoming an increasingly popular transport model being proposed by city planners and architects.
Cable cars provide a new form of public transport that is sustainable, extremely fast, reliable and efficient," Mr van Berkel said.
UNStudio is also designing cable cars in Amsterdam and Gothenburg, while other architecture practices have proposed similar systems with gondola-type cars in US cities Chicago and Oakland.
