2023 Freetown DAT Report - Flipbook - Page 30
Freetown DAT
Government Wharf Cable Car Station
The Government Wharf station has the potential for
being the most transformative station in the cable
car system. It would help drive commercial, civic, and
Diaspora and other tourist traffic to downtown thereby
sparking new downtown investments, paying jobs,
and tax base dividends far in excess of the required
investments.
The Government Wharf station will be the central cable
car system anchor, first for the currently planned pilot
line, and later for the entire cable car system.
If the Government Wharf Cable Car station is only the
anchor for the cable car system, however, its potential
will be wasted. It should also be an anchor for a new
expanded ferry service and for downtown in general. If
downtown development is well handled, Government
Wharf can become the primary focal point for residents
and visitors, supporting the use of the wharf for what
could become the primary ferry service feeding visitors
and residents from the airport and for trips to some of
the islands, especially Bunce Island in the Sierra Leone
River/Estuary.
There are several options for the Government Wharf
cable car program. For example:
• First floor and second floor: Ticket sales, tourism
and local travel information, and retail. The location
can help give downtown a central focal point, which
would promote placemaking and tourism. At the
same time, land rents within a well-designed cable
car should be the highest in all of Freetown, helping
provide a return on investment for the cable car
system.
• Third floor: Cable cars, laid out for both the initial
pilot system and to accommodate a future line to
the west.
The Government Wharf cable car station is the anchor for the entire cable car system, and could feature a downtown and ferry wharf redevelopment opportunity that has enormous
potential.
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