The Bulnes Funicular ( es, Funicular de Bulnes) is an underground

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 en ...

connecting the villages of Bulnes and Poncebos in the

Picos de Europa The Picos de Europa ("Peaks of Europe", also the Picos) are a mountain range extending for about , forming part of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. The range is situated in the Autonomous Communities of Asturias, Cantabria and Castil ...

region of the Cantabrian Mountains in Asturias,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Overview

The village of Bulnes is located at an elevation of in a steep mountain valley above the

Cares River The Cares is a river in Northern Spain that flows through the autonomous communities of Asturias and León until it joins the Deva River and flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the Bay of Biscay. It forms the Tina Mayor estuary, the natural bo ...

. Traditionally, the only routes to the village were the strenuous two-hour trail from Poncebos and the mountain path from

Sotres Sotres is a village and parish in the Asturian municipality of Cabrales, in Spain, located 19 km from Carreña, the municipal capital, in the eastern extreme of the province. The highest of all villages in the Picos de Europa National Park ...

. There are no vehicular routes to the village. To provide better access to Bulnes and to open up the region to tourism, the Asturias government developed the Bulnes Funicular which opened in September 2001. In the first 10 years after opening, the funicular recorded 500,000 passengers. The funicular is a single-track railway with an 18% slope that operates through a tunnel below the mountains north of Bulnes. The railway has an elevation gain of from its base in Poncebos to the terminus in Bulnes. There are no other stations along the route. There are two passenger cars for the funicular, with total capacity of 48 passengers, in addition to a freight car that is used to transport goods to Bulnes. The funicular operates 365 days a year and departs at 30 minute intervals. Fares are collected to use the funicular, except for residents of Bulnes who can travel for free.

Gallery

Funicular - panoramio (6).jpg, Entrance to the funicular station Funicular de Bulnes (4019902311).jpg, View of the terminus in Bulnes Subida_a_Bulnes.jpg, Interior of the Bulnes Funicular

References

{{reflist Funicular railways in Spain Railway lines opened in 2001