The Southend Cliff Railway, or Southend Cliff Lift, is a funicular in the English seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea, constructed in 1912.[1][2]
The line is owned and operated by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, and has the following technical parameters:[1][2][3]
The line operates daily in summer between 1000 and 1745. A fare of 50 pence per trip is charged.[4]
The line has an unusual configuration, as it runs on a single-track elevated structure. The counterweight track runs within this structure, immediately below the main track that carries the passenger car.[1][2]
The line runs on the site of a pioneering moving walkway, a forerunner of today's escalator. This was constructed in 1901 by the American engineer Jesse W. Reno, but soon proved noisy and unreliable due its exposed location. The current line was opened in 1912, and has been modernised three times since, in 1930, 1959 and 1990. Each modernisation has resulted in the replacement of the car.[2]
In 2003 the line was closed due to technical problems, and refurbishment was undertaken on the stations. However during the time that it was closed, the regulations governing its operation changed, requiring modifications before it could be reopened. The line finally re-opened on 25 May 2010, after a restoration costing a total of £3 million, £650,000 on the car alone.[4][5][6]