La Plagne Plans €100m+ Gondola Link From Rail Station To Slopes
La Plagne Plans €100m+ Gondola Link From Rail Station To Slopes
Published : 07-Sep-2026 09:51
With access to ski areas by rail gradually improving, one of the world's most visited resorts, La Plagne, has unveiled a €106 million plan to connect one of its nearest rail stations directly by a gondola from the train station to the ski slopes. The proposed lift would start beside Aime railway station at 700m and climb 1270 vertical metres over its six-kilometre length to reach Plagne Centre at 1,970m.
The proposal, yet to receive full planning approval, is being packaged as a potential positive legacy tied to La Plagne's participation in the upcoming 2030 Winter Olympics. The resort will again host ice-sliding events as it did at the Albertville Games of 1992, and the plan is for an intermediate station at the Olympic bobsleigh track.
The environmental and time-saving benefits of the new lift would be huge, the current journey by road is 18km.
If the project goes ahead, construction is scheduled for 2028–29, followed by technical testing in autumn 2029 to open in time for the Olympics.
The latest new rail access to be announced is a new overnight train which will bring skiers from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels. It's a new option for Eurostar users who can connect to the service from the UK.
Although the new gondola project is not yet confirmed, work on La Plagne's bobsleigh track ahead of the 2030 Games, with a maximum renovation budget of €43 million, is confirmed to begin next year.
Two of its 19 bends will be reshaped so that ice which is currently up to 70cm thick can be reduced to between 5cm and 10cm, cutting the amount of ice and refrigeration required. A micro-hydro turbine is planned, along with changes to insulation and the refrigeration system to reduce water and electricity consumption.
The public can use the track, either in a self-steering padded bob or as a passenger behind a professional driver in a bobsleigh. Around 14,000 tourist descents take place every winter.
The bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events of the 2030 Olympic Winter Games will take place here from 1–17 February.
La Plagne recorded 2.7 million skier days during winter 2025/26, which the resort says makes it the number one ski destination in France and the world by skier days sold. Brits still make up the highest proportion of overseas guest visitors as they have for decades.
This winter the season runs from 12 December 2026 – 24 April 2027.
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