The Montjuïc 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 ...

in the city of

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 ...

, in

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 railway mainly runs through a tunnel and connects the

Barcelona Metro The Barcelona Metro (Catalan language, Catalan and Spanish language, Spanish: ) is a rapid transit network that runs mostly underground in central Barcelona and into the city's suburbs. It is part of the larger public transport system ...

Paral·lel station Paral·lel is a Barcelona Metro The Barcelona Metro (Catalan language, Catalan and Spanish language, Spanish: ) is a rapid transit network that runs mostly underground in central Barcelona and into the city's suburbs. It is part of ...

(with connections to lines L2 and L3) with the hill of

Montjuïc Montjuïc () is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Montjuïc or Montjuich, meaning "Jewish Mountain" in medieval Latin and Catalan, is a broad, shallow hill in Barcelona with a rich history. It was the birthplace of the city, and its st ...

and the various sporting facilities and other attractions there. The upper station of the funicular is adjacent to the lower station of the

Montjuïc Cable Car The Montjuïc Cable Car (officially ''Telefèric de Montjuïc'', in Catalan) is a gondola lift in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The cable car runs from a lower terminus adjacent to the Montjuïc Park upper station of the Montjuïc funicular, ...

, a

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

that continues uphill to a terminal near the Montjuïc Castle at the summit of the hill. There is also a bus stop serviced by the 150 line which runs from the upper station of the funicular to the castle's summit and is part of the same fare network as the funicular, providing a free transfer to the castle as an alternative to the cable car.

Overview

The funicular is part of the

Autoritat del Transport Metropolità The Metropolitan Transport Authority (, 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 made up of the Government of Catalonia a ...

integrated fare network and is listed on maps as part of the metro network. It is operated by

Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona The Barcelona Metropolitan Transport, or ''Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona'' (TMB) in Catalan, is the main public transit operator in Barcelona. A combination of two formerly-separate companies, ''Ferrocarril Metropolità de Barcelona, SA.' ...

(TMB), which also operates most of the metro lines. The funicular is one of three funiculars in Barcelona, the other two being the

Funicular de Vallvidrera The Vallvidrera Funicular ( 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 Lin ...

and the

Funicular del Tibidabo The Tibidabo Funicular (; ) is a funicular railway in the city of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. The line connects ''Plaça del Doctor Andreu'', the upper terminus of the '' Tramvia Blau'', with the summit of Tibidabo, where there is an amusemen ...

, although neither of these is operated by TMB.

Technical parameters

The railway has a single track configuration with a

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 ...

between stations. The track is long and rises at a maximum 18%

gradient In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function f of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p gives the direction and the rate of fastest increase. The g ...

. The railway has a maximum speed of .

History

The railway was opened in 1928 in order to serve the

1929 Barcelona International Exposition The 1929 Barcelona International Exposition (also 1929 Barcelona Universal Exposition, or Expo 1929, officially in Spanish language, Spanish: ''Exposición Internacional de Barcelona 1929'') was the second World's fair, World Fair to be held in ...

. Until around 1970, the funicular included a second upper stage that linked the current upper station with Montjuïc Castle. This connection is now provided by the

. In preparation for the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

, the railway was extensively reconstructed that year in order to serve the

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium formerly known as the Estadi de Montjuïc and Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc and also known in English language, English as the Barcelona Olympic Stadium, is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Originally built ...

stadium and other Olympic facilities that were built on the Montjuïc hill.

References

External links

Photographic description and map of the line from Trens de Catalunya
(in Catalan) {{DEFAULTSORT:Montjuic Funicular * 1200 mm gauge railways in Spain Funicular railways in Barcelona Railway lines opened in 1928 Transport in Sants-Montjuïc Subterranean funiculars Underground rapid transit in Spain Metro lines with only two stations