Funiculars of Lyon
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The Funiculars of Lyon (Funiculaires de Lyon) is a network of funicular railways in Lyon, France. Of the five lines once in existence, two remain with the rest of network now integrated within the Lyon underground system.
No less than five funicular lines, nicknamed ficelles were built.
- The first line opened in 1862 and linked Rue Terme and Boulevard de la Croix Rousse. The funicular was closed and convertd to a road in 1968.
- The second line opened in 1891 and served the Butte de la Croix Rousse. The line converted into a rack railway in 1972 and transformed to be part of the Lyon Metro in 1978 as line C.
- The third line opened in 1878 linking Saint-Jean to Saint-Just with an intermediate station at Minines, climbing the hill of Fourvière. The line was converted to rack railway between 1901 and 1958, before being converted back to a funicular that year.
- The fourth and fifth lines were opened in 1900, linking Fourvière to Saint-Paul and Saint-Jean. The first closed in 1937 and the second modernised in 1970 with a change of gauge from 1 m (3 ft 33⁄8 in) to 1.30m. The Fourvière - Saint-Jean is 431m long with a 30% incline on a portion of 116m track.
Both lines still in service were modernised in 1986 and 1987. A new station at Saint-Jean was built in 1991 to serve Line D and connect both funicular lines.
[edit] Network
| Saint-Jean - Saint-Just | 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) gauge |
| Length | 791m |
| Height | 91.2m |
| Number of stops | 3 |
| Fleet | 2 funicular cars |
| Capacity | 216 passengers |
| Length of journey | 3minutes 20 seconds |
| Opening times | 5h00 to 00h00 |
| Frequency of services | 5 to 10 minutes |
| Saint-Jean - Fourvière | 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) gauge |
| Length | 404m |
| Height | 116m |
| Number of stops | 2 |
| Fleet | 2 funicular cars |
| Capacity | 70 passengers |
| Length of journey | 2 minutes |
| Opening times | 6h00 to 22h00 |
| Frequency of services | 5 to 10 minutes |
[edit] Funicular cars in preservation
Funicular car n°1 is preserved at the AMTUIR in Saint-Mandé. It operated on the single track line from Saint-Jean to the Basilica de Fourvière. The line it served on was modernised in 1970 and equipped with new cars.
The car was given to the AMTUIR (Musée des Transports Urbains) by the Transports en Commun de la Région Lyonnaise (TCRL) on 27 May 1970.
| Tramcar n°11 data | |
| Length | 8.62m |
| Width | 2.10m |
| Height | 3.60m |
| Gross weight | 6.2t |
| Capacity | 12/44 |
| Current | By pantograph for lighting only. |
| Gauge | 1 m (3 ft 33⁄8 in) |
