The Funiculars of Lyon (Funiculaires de Lyon) is a network of

funicular 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 (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ...

railways in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Of the five lines once in existence, only the two routes on the Fourvière hill remain in operation, with the rest of the network now either closed, converted to road vehicle use, or integrated within the Lyon underground system.

History

No fewer than five funicular lines, nicknamed ''ficelles'' ("threads") were built. *The first line opened in 1862 and linked Rue Terme and

Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse is a boulevard that marks the border between the 1st and the 4th arrondissements of Lyon, in the neighborhood Croix-Rousse. Location The boulevard runs east–west and is the border between the 1st and 4th arrondissements and the neighborh ...

. The funicular was closed and converted to a road tunnel in 1968. *The second line opened in 1891 and served the Butte de la Croix Rousse. The line was converted into a

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with t ...

in 1972 and rebuilt and extended at both ends to become Line C of the

Lyon Metro The Lyon Metro (french: Métro de Lyon) is a rapid transit system serving Lyon Metropolis, France. First opened in 1974, it currently consists of four lines, serving 40 stations and comprising of route. Part of the Transports en Commun Lyonnai ...

in 1978. *The third line opened in 1878 linking Saint-Jean to Saint-Just with an intermediate station at Minimes, climbing the

Fourvière Fourvière () is a district of Lyon, France, a hill immediately west of the old part of the town, rising from the river Saône. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum in 43 BC. The district contains many religious buildings i ...

hill. The line was converted to a

in 1901 and back to a funicular in 1958. *The fourth and fifth lines were opened in 1900, linking the Tour Metallique on Fourvière hill to Saint-Paul and the Basilica on Fourvière with Saint-Jean. The first was closed in 1937 and the second was modernised in 1970 with a change of gauge from to . The Fourvière - Saint-Jean line is long with a 30% incline. Both lines still in service were modernised again in 1986 and 1987. The Fourvière funicular was refurbished at the start of 2018, and the St Just funicular at the start of 2019. A new station at Saint-Jean was built in 1991 to serve the new line of the Metro and both funicular lines, and the whole complex named Vieux-Lyon. According to the definition of a rapid transit system given by French dictionaries"electric traction railway, partially or totally underground, serving a large urban area"Lyon can claim to have one of the world's first rapid transit lines, as the Terme funicular, which meets these characteristics, was opened in 1862, six months before the first section of the

Metropolitan Railway The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met) was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from the capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex su ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Current lines

Route map

F1 (Saint-Jean - Saint-Just)

F2 (Saint-Jean - Fourvière)

Late 2010s refurbishment

From January to June 2018, the Fourvière funicular was refurbished. This refurbishment included a revised livery, brighter and more open carriages, the carriages had a wheelchair space created, and new AC motors installed to replace the old DC motors. From December 2018 to June 2019, St Just’s Funicular was closed for refurbishment. It received a new livery, similar to the livery on the upcoming MPL16s. It also received a new interior which is brighter and more spacious.

Funicular cars in preservation

Funicular car n°1 is preserved at the AMTUIR ( fr). It operated on the single track line from Saint-Jean to the Basilique 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.

External links

Plan of Lyon metro and funicularsPicture library of transport in LyonA pdf file about the Funicular Refurbishment (2018)
{{coord missing, France 5th arrondissement of Lyon

Rail transport in Lyon Metre gauge railways in France 1300 mm gauge railways in France 1862 establishments in France