The Santa Cova Funicular (; ) is a

funicular railway 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 ends ...

Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...

, near

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The line descends from

the monastery ''The Monastery: a Romance'' (1820) is a historical novel by Walter Scott, one of the Waverley novels. Set in the Scottish Borders in the 1550s on the eve of the Scottish Reformation, it is centred on Melrose Abbey. Composition and sources Scot ...

, and the upper terminus of the

Montserrat Rack Railway The Montserrat Rack Railway (Spanish and , ) is a mountain railway line north-west of Barcelona in Catalonia. The line runs from Monistrol de Montserrat to the mountain-top monastery of Montserrat. The line is long and has a rail gauge of ...

, on a continuous curve to a lower station that gives access, via a path, to Santa Cova, a shrine lower down the mountain. The funicular has the following technical parameters: *Length: *Height: *Maximum steepness: 56.5 % *Cars: 2 *Capacity: 90 passengers per car *Configuration:

Single track Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

with

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...

*Travel time: 2.5 minutes *Track gauge: *Traction: Electrical Although the line operates two cars, in normal service only one carries passengers, whilst the other simply acts as a counterweight. The line is operated by the

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (, "Catalan Government Railways"; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Ferrocarriles de la Generalidad de Cataluña''), or FGC, is a railway company which operates several unconnected lines in Catalonia, Spain. The lines operated include metro and commu ...

(''Catalan Government Railways'', FGC), who also operate the Montserrat Rack Railway and the

Funicular de Sant Joan The Sant Joan Funicular (; ) is a funicular railway at Montserrat, near Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. The line connects the monastery, and the upper terminus of the Montserrat Rack Railway, with sacred sites, walking trails and viewpoints highe ...

funicular railway on Montserrat Mountain, together with two other funicular railways and a significant suburban railway system in and around Barcelona. The line originally opened in 1929 and was passed to the FGC in 1986. It was renovated in 1991 with the retention of its original stepped and wooden bodied cars. One of these was damaged by floods in 2000, as was the lower station. When the line reopened in 2001, new panoramic cars, similar to those already in use on the nearby

, were provided.

References

External links

Official website of the Montserrat Rack Railway and associated funicular railways
(in Catalan,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

)
Photographic description and map of the line from Trens de Catalunya
(in Catalan) Funicular railways in Catalonia Metre-gauge railways in Spain Transport in Bages Buildings and structures in the Province of Barcelona {{Catalonia-rail-transport-stub