Green light for cable-car project in the capital

A planned cable car above the River Thames in London has been given the final go-ahead by the Greater London Authority (GLA).

The crossing will link two 2012 Olympic venues, the O2 arena in Greenwich with the Excel exhibition centre in the Royal Docks in East London.

London mayor Boris Johnson said the scheme was "as good as a bus route with 30 buses on it", carrying 2,500 people an hour.

When completed in two years time cable cars will run some 50 metres above the river.

Greenwich and Newham councils and the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation had already approved the scheme.