A funicular is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages permanently attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track. The result of such a configuration is that the two carriages move synchronously: as one ascends, the other descends at an equal speed. This feature distinguishes funiculars from inclined elevators, which have a single car that is hauled uphill.
Cable transport is a broad class of transport modes that have cables. They transport passengers and goods, often in vehicles called cable cars. The cable may be driven or passive, and items may be moved by pulling, sliding, sailing, or by drives within the object being moved on cableways. The use of pulleys and balancing of loads moving up and down are common elements of cable transport. They are often used in mountainous areas where cable haulage can overcome large differences in elevation.
The Harderbahn (HB) is one of two funiculars that operate from the town of Interlaken. The Harderbahn leads to the western end of the Harder in the north of Interlaken across the river Aare, in Switzerland.
A cable railway is a railway that uses a cable, rope or chain to haul trains. It is a specific type of cable transportation.
The Montmartre Funicular is an inclined transport system serving the Montmartre neighbourhood of Paris, France, in the 18th arrondissement. Operated by the RATP, the Paris transport authority, the system opened in 1900; it was entirely rebuilt in 1935 and again in 1991.
The Reichenbachfall Funicular is a funicular in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss canton of Berne. It links Willigen, near Meiringen, with the uppermost of the Reichenbach Falls, famous as the site of the apparent death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional hero, Sherlock Holmes. On its route the line follows and crosses the lower falls of the Reichenbach.
The Thunersee–Beatenberg Funicular is a funicular in the Swiss Canton of Berne. It links a jetty, at Beatenbucht in the municipality of Sigriswil and on the shores of Lake Thun, to the village of Beatenberg, situated on the plateau above at 1,120 metres (3,675 ft) above sea level.
The Old Quebec Funicular was a funicular railway, later converted as an inclined elevator, in the Old Quebec neighbourhood of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It links the Haute-Ville at Dufferin Terrace to the Basse-Ville at Rue du Petit-Champlain. The Basse-Ville includes such sites as the colonial-era Notre Dame des Victoires church, the historic Petit Champlain district, the port, and the Musée de la civilisation. Climbing at a 45-degree angle, the railway covers a total distance of 64 metres (210 ft).
The Gelmer Funicular is a cable railway in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links a lower terminus at Handegg, in the Haslital, with an upper terminus at the Gelmersee lake, 448 m above.
The Saltburn Cliff Lift is a funicular railway in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It provides access to Saltburn Pier and the seafront from the town. The cliff lift is the oldest operating water-balance cliff funicular in the United Kingdom.
The Belleville funicular tramway was a cable car which from 1891 to 1924 connected the Place de la République in Paris to the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville, on a hill in the Belleville quarter. It has since been demolished.
The Funiculaire de Cossonay is a funicular railway connecting the town of Cossonay in the Swiss canton of Vaud with Cossonay-Penthalaz railway station, on the line from Lausanne to Vallorbe and Yverdon-les-Bains. The lower funicular station is called Cossonay-Gare, but is in the village of Penthalaz. The upper station, some 130 metres (430 ft) above, is named Cossonay-Ville. The line has a length of 1228 m at a maximum incline of 13%.
The St. Moritz–Corviglia Funicular is a funicular railway in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The line links the town of St. Moritz at 1848 m with the Corviglia summit and ski area at 2489 m, and comprises two sections of differing gauge, with passengers changing cars at the intermediate station of Chantarella.
An inclined elevator or inclined lift is a form of cable railway that hauls rail cars up a steep gradient.
The Stoosbahn, also known as the Schwyz–Stoos funicular or Standseilbahn Schwyz–Stoos, is a funicular railway in the Swiss canton of Schwyz. It connects the Hintere Schlattli in the municipalities of Muotatal, Morschach, and Schwyz with the village and mountain resort of Stoos, above Morschach. On a length of 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi), it overcomes a height difference of 744 metres (2,441 ft). It opened on 15 December 2017 and replaces the older Schwyz-Stoos funicular, operating since 1933 on a different route. The carriages are barrel-shaped and rotate to maintain a level floor surface for passengers. Construction took five years and cost 52 million Swiss francs.
Vinifuni Ligerz–Prêles is a funicular above Lake Biel in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. The line leads from Ligerz/Gléresse at 437 m to Prêles at 820 m on Tessenberg, a plateau part of the Jura range. The line has a length of 1198 m with a difference of elevation of 383 m and a maximum incline of 40%. The single track funicular has had only one car since 2004, when the passing loop and the second car were removed. Two intermediate stations are Pilgerweg at 487 m and Festi/Château at 577 m. The lower station is next to Ligerz railway station and a landing stage for Lake Biel passenger ships.
Standseilbahn Hotel Montana is a funicular in Lucerne, Switzerland. It leads from Haldenstrasse at the shore of Lake Lucerne to the entrance of Hotel Montana at Adligenswilerstrasse. The installation has a single-car and a counterweight. It runs for a length of 85 m and a difference of elevation of 38 m. The average incline is 50%. Intermediate stops provide access to the premises of SHL Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern.
A Waterballast railway is a funicular or aerial tramway without a prime mover that uses gravity as its motive power. A synonym for this is water weight cable car.
