London’s Olympic Park could soon become home to a new 440-metre-long zipline. Plans to install a wire from the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower as a tourist attraction have been presented to the Tower Hamlets and Newham local authorities.
ArcelorMittal Orbit, built in 2012, became the world’s tallest sculpture, but unfortunately, expectations regarding visitor traffic were not met, which has posed a challenge for a sustainable business model. It is also the UK’s tallest sculpture – rising 114.5 metres above ground. Being the UK’s largest piece of public art, the structure stands as a reminder of the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
In an attempt to save the attraction, Zip World took over operation in September 2024, vowing to transform ArcelorMittal Orbit into a “European first-of-its-kind adventure.” If given a green light, the revamped attraction is expected to bring 60,000 visitors each year.
Zip World submitted the plans for the new “unique and exhilarating experience” earlier in October 2025. According to the proposal, the adventure will strap tourists into chairs and take them from the top of the Orbit to a newly built return tower in Tower Hamlets.
The future return tower will rise 38.7 metres high with zipline cables attached to its top. Adrenaline lovers would be able to ride the zipline to the tower before they are brought back to the launch platform. According to planning officers, the return tower is not expected to impact the protected Metropolitan Open Land, and they have recommended its approval.
In addition, Zip World intends to also install a “gravity descender” attraction. But to do this, the organisation will submit a separate plan.
On 22 and 23 October, councillors in Newham and Tower Hamlets voted to approve the permission for the zipline. They said that Zip World would be offering a 30 per cent “discount scheme for local residents.” This fee reduction would apply to residents with postcodes “that are in the Olympic Park or touch the Olympic Park.”
The future zipline is set to operate between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm, with a capacity of 60 people per hour, travelling at a speed of 60 kilometres per hour.
The new attraction, according to Zip World’s Andrew Hudson, is also set to recruit a “hyperlocal workforce.” Hudson explained that the project might create between ten and 15 jobs while preserving existing positions at the tower, which “up until recently has not been doing very well.”
