Designed to connect the lower part of Bellepierre to the La Montagne plateau in Saint-Denis, Réunion, in just four minutes, this project embodies a new vision of urban mobility: smoother, cleaner and more people-friendly.
To understand the challenges of this extraordinary project, I Love Ski spoke with Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia, Director of Public Affairs and Director of Urban Transport at MND. A connoisseur of regional dynamics and public policy, Mehdi now oversees the global development of the MND group’s urban division.
With passion and precision, he sheds light on the genesis of this pioneering project, the Smart Grid technologies that make it a world first, and the co-construction philosophy that guides MND in its urban projects around the world.
I Love Ski: Mehdi, can you remind us of the context of this project and what makes it such a unique adventure for MND?
Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia (MND): This project has a very special resonance for us. Réunion is a French territory in its own right, but with an extremely strong island, cultural and environmental identity. It was above all a question of listening, understanding and co-constructing. We wanted to design a transport infrastructure that was useful, understated and meaningful for the inhabitants.
The ZÈL La Montagne consortium, which we lead, brings together several local companies – SBTPC SOGEA Réunion, SODIPARC, STEM International, as well as architects and engineers from the region (L’ATELIER Architectes et Ingénieurs) – to ensure an integrated approach, from civil engineering to operation. This is a deliberate approach: a project designed by and for the people of Réunion. The challenge was not to provide a ‘turnkey’ solution from mainland France, but to anchor the project in the social, climatic and geographical reality of the island.
The steep terrain, microclimates, high urban density in the lowlands and population growth in the highlands made mobility particularly complex. ZÈL La Montagne provides the answer to this equation: opening up the island without spoiling its character, and making travel easier while reducing dependence on cars.
Love Ski: MND is talking about a world first: a 100% energy-neutral urban cable car. What does that mean in practical terms?
Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia (MND): Indeed, ZÈL La Montagne will be the first urban cable car in the world capable of producing as much energy as it consumes. This is a real breakthrough in the way we think about urban mobility, because it is not just a carbon-free means of transport, but a self-sufficient energy system.
This performance is based on a unique device: the Smart Grid, an intelligent electrical network designed to continuously optimise energy production, consumption and redistribution.
Its role is to manage the energy balance of the installation in real time. In concrete terms, it distributes electricity between the various consumer stations — the cable car motor, technical buildings, ancillary spaces — and automatically feeds any surplus back into the local grid.
The innovation lies in the fact that each component becomes a player in the overall energy system: stations, park-and-ride facilities, reception areas and even technical areas are integrated into a virtuous cycle of local production and consumption.
Energy is generated by two main sources: firstly, photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs of the project’s buildings; and secondly, energy recovery during the descent of the cabins, a principle directly inspired by the regenerative braking used in electric vehicles.
I Love Ski: You mention energy recovery during descents. Can you explain this principle in more detail?
Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia (MND): Yes, it’s one of the most fascinating aspects of the project. When a cabin descends, especially when carrying passengers, it generates a gravitational force that mechanically drives the motor. Traditionally, this potential energy is dissipated as heat through conventional braking systems. But in the case of ZÈL La Montagne, we have chosen to transform this physical constraint into an energy opportunity.
Thanks to latest-generation regenerative drives, the mechanical energy generated during descent is converted into electricity. Far from being lost, this electricity is then stored or fed directly back into the cable car’s Smart Grid, where it powers other components of the system — whether buildings, ancillary equipment or the motor during ascent phases.
This recovery mechanism transforms the very movement of the cable car into a virtuous energy cycle: the more the device operates, the more it contributes to its autonomy. It is therefore not simply a question of saving energy, but of closing the energy loop, giving new life to what gravity naturally provides.
I Love Ski: Why is this system particularly relevant in Réunion?
Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia (MND): The island of Reunion has a very specific geographical and energy context. Isolated in the heart of the Indian Ocean, it depends largely on limited local resources and energy production that is still partly fossil-based. In this context, any initiative aimed at strengthening the territory’s energy autonomy takes on a strategic dimension.
The integration of a Smart Grid into an urban mobility project such as ZÈL La Montagne makes it possible to reduce dependence on imported energy, while improving the resilience of the local network.
I Love Ski: CINOR requested that operation and maintenance be included. How did you respond to this requirement?
Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia (MND): This was indeed a major request from CINOR, which wanted to go beyond the traditional design-build model. The aim was not only to build high-performance equipment, but also to guarantee its durability, reliability and local roots over time.
To meet this ambition, we created a dedicated operation and maintenance company, a unique structure in this type of project, in which MND holds a stake of around 40%. The remaining shares are held by Reunion Island players, notably SODIPARC and STEM International, which already have experience in managing transport infrastructure on the island.
This mixed governance model ensures a balance between industrial expertise and local knowledge. It creates a relationship of trust and shared responsibility, where each party contributes according to its skills: MND for high-level technology and maintenance, and local partners for operational management and proximity to users.
This approach aims to transfer know-how on a long-term basis. From the commissioning phase onwards, we have integrated a specific training programme for Réunion technicians, so that they can become fully autonomous in operating the equipment. We don’t want them to be permanently dependent on the manufacturer, but rather to be able to take ownership of the installation, understand it and develop it.
I Love Ski: The project also includes an ‘integrated repatriation’ system. What does this involve?
Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia (MND): Integrated repatriation is one of the most innovative safety features of this project. It is a system which, in the event of a technical failure or interruption of the main network, automatically returns the cabins to the stations without external intervention or evacuation at height.
In practical terms, if an incident occurs – whether it be a power cut, a mechanical problem or unforeseen weather conditions – the system takes over instantly. It relies on an independent emergency motor, integrated into the installation, which ensures that the cabins resume movement to the stations.
For passengers, this changes everything: they remain on board, safe and dry, while the system gently brings the cabins back to the station. This protocol avoids vertical evacuation, which is always complex and risky, especially in wooded or steep areas such as those on the slopes of La Montagne.
I Love Ski: Can ZÈL La Montagne be considered an exportable model?
Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia (MND): Absolutely. ZÈL La Montagne embodies a design and management philosophy that we want to promote internationally.
This project illustrates our strategy: to be pioneers in mobility models that combine technical innovation, environmental sustainability and strong local roots. We are not looking to reproduce the same models indefinitely, but to design infrastructure tailored to the unique characteristics of each region.
Since 2024, MND has developed a new detachable range, ORIZON, which now allows us to fully address the global urban cable transport market. This technology, the result of several years of research and experimentation, has been designed to meet the specific challenges of dense cities, mountainous areas and islands where the topography makes conventional solutions complex and costly. We favour projects where our added value is real, where co-construction with local stakeholders enables us to create a unique, useful and sustainable project.
Designed to blend into its environment, the ZÈL La Montagne cable car combines energy efficiency, intelligent design and respect for the landscape. Its name, ‘Zèl’, which means ‘wings’ in Réunion Creole, sums up the spirit of the project: to connect, lighten and open up new perspectives for the inhabitants of Saint-Denis.
The Le Belvédère cabins, with their simple and bright design, reflect this desire to combine functionality and comfort, while enhancing the aesthetic and climatic codes of the Réunion region. Inspired by the white-tailed tropicbird, the island’s emblematic bird, the cable car becomes a vector of cohesion between the lower and upper parts of the island, between modernity and local identity.
