The Tibidabo Funicular ( ca, Funicular del Tibidabo; es, Funicular del Tibidabo) 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 en ...

in the city of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern 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 ci ...

, in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

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 ...

. The line connects ''Plaça del Doctor Andreu'', the upper terminus of the ''

Tramvia Blau The Tramvia Blau (Catalan for "blue tramway") is one of Barcelona's three tram systems. It is a long heritage streetcar line serving a hilly area of the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district between the terminus of FGC Barcelona Metro L7 and the Fun ...

'', with the summit of Tibidabo, where there is an amusement park and a church, the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor. The funicular is one of three in Barcelona, the others being the

Funicular de Vallvidrera The Vallvidrera Funicular (both Catalan and Spanish:Funicular de Vallvidrera) is a funicular railway in the Barcelona district of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, in Catalonia, Spain. It connects Peu del Funicular station on the Barcelona–Vallès Line wi ...

and the Funicular de Montjuïc. After modernisation works the funicular recommenced operations with new trainsets nicknamed "''La'' ''Cuca de llum"'' in June 2021 during a period of upgrade works from 2019. The ''Tramvia Blau'', along with a parallel bus service, provides a connection from Avinguda Tibidabo metro station. This is the terminus of line 7 of the

Barcelona Metro The Barcelona Metro (Catalan and Spanish: ) is an extensive network of rapid transit electrified railway lines that run mostly underground in central Barcelona and into the city's suburbs. It is part of the larger public transport s ...

, operated by the FGC from a city terminus at Plaça de Catalunya. Like the Tramvia Blau, the funicular is not part of

Autoritat del Transport Metropolità The Metropolitan Transport Authority ( ca, Autoritat del Transport Metropolità, ATM) is a public consortium intended to coordinate the operation and project the expansion of the public transport system in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is m ...

(ATM) integrated fare network. Tickets must be separately purchased from ticket offices or machines at the terminal stations prior to travel.

History

The line was opened on October 29, 1901, with a length of . It has been modernised in 1922, 1958 and most recently in 2021.

Technical details

The funicular has the following technical parameters:

Rollingstock

2021 - present

After overhaul works to infrastructure between 2019 and 2021, new cars began operating on completely replaced tracks featuring a wider gauge of 1,400mm. There are two articulated vehicles currently operating with a capacity of 252 people and an empty vehicle weight of 30 tons.

1958 - 2019

The most notable change was the replacement of wooden bodies replaced by metal ones. They typically operated as 2-car trainsets carrying 113 per trainset with a maximum speed of 4.1metres per second (13.5 ft/s) with a track gauge of .

1901 - 1958

The vehicles had been remodelled multiple times over this period with cars made from wood. The first bodies were built by the Estrada de Sarriá workshops, and had five compartments divided between the preferential and general classes with a maximum capacity of 30 people.

References

External links

*
Funicular del Tibidabo at trenscat.com
Tibidabo, Funicular del Metre gauge railways in Spain {{Catalonia-rail-transport-stub