Funicular railways with intermediate stops

[geoffk]

A niche subject. During a recent holiday in Switzerland, I had a ride on the funicular from Vevey to Mont Pèlerin. The line rises 414 m over its 1,584 m length. A feature of the line is the four intermediate halts, two each side of the passing loop. Obviously, the halts have to be positioned in the right place to allow up and down cars to stop at the very short platform.

I was wondering how common this feature is, as opposed to a single halt at the passing loop. The funiculars in the UK other than Bridgnorth are all on the coast and, apart from Lynton - Lynmouth, are too short to warrant intermediate stops. It’s likely that others in Europe or beyond offer more than just a service from A to B. Are these request stops and, if so, how does this work when no staff are present?

 

[317666]

There's a funicular in Zürich (the Seilbahn Rigiblick) which is completely automated and has three intermediate request stops. You press a button inside the car if you want to alight, and press a button on the platform if you wish to board - much the same as request stops on Swiss trains. It's currently being refurbished and receiving new cars.

 

[signed]

One of the Barcelona funicular has two stops on the way

You have buttons near the door to alight and a button on the platform to request the stop

 

[185]

Hungerbergbahn (1.8km, rises 300m) in Innsbruck is an extremely modern, fast funicular with two intermediate stops - Lowenhaus and the Alpenzoo.

Strongly recommend the cable car above it (aka Nordkette or 'top of Innsbruck').

 

[nwales58]

There are more. I only really know Europe. Off the top of my head:

Bergen
Petrin, Prague
Hungerburgbahn, Innsbruck
Lugano: both station-town and the one up from Paradiso
Como-Brunate
More than one of the Genoa lines, one is quite long (and then there is the combined funicular/lift)
All three of the Naples ones up to Vanvitelli
Catanzaro (from the car park up to the centre, not the FdC line)
Lyon St. Just

Laon is now closed, but some of the French Alps ones probably have intermediate stops

The funicular section of Trieste-Opicina has stops, if it ever re-opens.

 

[AlbertBeale]

There's a funicular in Zürich (the Seilbahn Rigiblick) which is completely automated and has three intermediate request stops. You press a button inside the car if you want to alight, and press a button on the platform if you wish to board - much the same as request stops on Swiss trains. It's currently being refurbished and receiving new cars.

This one is great - an excuse for a trip out from the centre on one of the trolleybus routes; at the top you can carry on walking uphill into a really nice large wooded area overlooking the city.

It seemed as though one of the intermediate stations served little other than one rather grand hillside house. A friend I was travelling with said that if they were ever in a position to buy an expensive house in Switzerland (albeit unlikely...), that would be the one. Or maybe they were just humouring me, given my love of funiculars...

 

[The exile]

Think the Heidelberg Schlossbahn has an intermediate - but it’s 23 years since I was there.

 

[James H]

Salzburg also comes to mind

 

[Haywain]

The Peak Tram in Hong Kong has 4 intermediate stops.

 

[Ayman Ilham]

Lugano in Switzerland has an intermediate stop at the cathedral on their funicular that connects the railway station to the city centre.

 

[blackfive460]

Think the Heidelberg Schlossbahn has an intermediate - but it’s 23 years since I was there.

The Heidelberg Burgbahn runs from Kornmarkt to the Königstuhl. It has two sections with the lower section having an intermediate stop at the Schloss.
Well worth a ride!

 

[geoffk]

The Heidelberg Burgbahn runs from Kornmarkt to the Königstuhl. It has two sections with the lower section having an intermediate stop at the Schloss.
Well worth a ride!

Thanks for all the replies. I've been to Lugano and have a vague recollection of the funicular there. Is there any news on Trieste - Villa Opicina?

 

[nwales58]

Is there any news on Trieste - Villa Opicina?

Quick search of online news, some paywalled so from headlines, is that 'Inspectorate still says no'. The latest remedial works had still left track out of gauge amongst other things. There was another inspection in Feb 2024 but no obvious news since.

Riunione tecnica e sopralluogo sui binari: Ansfisa in città, il tram si muove

Nella mattinata di oggi 7 febbraio a Opicina si è tenuta una riunione tra tecnici del Comune, Trieste Trasporti e Ansfisa. Subito dopo la carrozza 404 del tram ha percorso il tratto tra l'abitato carsico e la zona immediatamente sottostante a campo Cologna. Bocche cucite da parte degli addetti...

www.triesteprima.it

Ecco perché il Tram di Opicina è ancora in stallo: servono nuovi interventi per riallineare i binari

Niente nulla osta alla ripartenza dai tecnici per il momento. Ecco perché

ilpiccolo.gelocal.it

 

[ABB125]

There's a small funicular in Åre, Sweden. It has an intermediate station half way

 

[Royston Vasey]

I've taken the Gora to Sounzan "cable car" up Mount Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan which has four intermediate stops. It's actually a funicular railway which connects to a "ropeway" which we'd commonly call a cable car!

 

[Jamesrob637]

SMC (Sierre-Montana-Crans) in Valais has a few intermediate stops, all on request (arrêts demandés)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Jul 2024 ==

The Peak Tram in Hong Kong has 4 intermediate stops.

Wonderful funicular, did it back in March.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The Locarno - Madonna del Sasso funicular in Switzerland has three intermediate stations, although the one at the Grand Hotel is currently closed whilst that establishment is being restored and renovated. The Sanctuary station, fairly close to the summit, is rather hair-raising with a somewhat rickety platform over a sheer drop.

 

[BayPaul]

Great Orme Tramway in Llandudno is effectively two funiculars with an intermediate station between them, and used to have additional stations as request stops.

 

[Gostav]

I've taken the Gora to Sounzan "cable car" up Mount Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan which has four intermediate stops. It's actually a funicular railway which connects to a "ropeway" which we'd commonly call a cable car!

Also in Japan, there are Sanjō Cable Line in Ikoma, four stations in 1.1km for climbs mount Ikoma, operated by Kintetsu Railway.

 

[jupiter]

The Fløibanen in Bergen has three intermediate stations between the bottom and top. If the lower car stops at the first on the way up, the higher car (coming down) stops in the middle of nowhere but adjacent to a small sign trackside explaining what’s happening. In my experience the intermediate stations aren’t well used and on most of the trips I’ve done it’s just gone straight from top to bottom and vv.

 

[AdamWW]

The Fløibanen in Bergen has three intermediate stations between the bottom and top. If the lower car stops at the first on the way up, the higher car (coming down) stops in the middle of nowhere but adjacent to a small sign trackside explaining what’s happening. In my experience the intermediate stations aren’t well used and on most of the trips I’ve done it’s just gone straight from top to bottom and vv.

May have changed, but when I used it some years ago they actually had "express" (non-stop) and stopping services in the timetable - something of a novelty for a funicular.

 

[Helenamuti]

May have changed, but when I used it some years ago they actually had "express" (non-stop) and stopping services in the timetable - something of a novelty for a funicular.

The Sierre-Montana funicular in Valais also has express and stopping services.

 

[GardenRail]

One's I've been on that I remember having an intermediate stop,

Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia
Prague in the Czech Republic

 

[JWK]

There’s an intermediate request stop at Birchi on the funicular to Beatenberg from lake level in the Bernese Oberland. Again, there is no ‘balancing’ stop the other side of the passing loop, so if the stop is requested, the other car halts in the middle of nowhere.

An interesting one is the Cattedrale stop on the Lugano city-railway station funicular. This stop is situated on the passing loop but only has a platform on one side of the loop. This means it can only be served by alternate journeys in either direction, by the car that takes the platform side track, so only that particular car (number 2, I believe) is equipped with buttons to request a stop at Cattedrale.

 

[Alpine Rider]

As you can see the in this you tube video

Caringorm Mountain Railway has an intermediate station which is not aligned with a platform in the opposite direction - fortunately when the train grinds to a halt in the middle of nowhere so far the passengers do not panic and start self evacuating.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Great Orme Tramway in Llandudno is effectively two funiculars with an intermediate station between them, and used to have additional stations as request stops.

You wouldn't happen to know where they were, would you? I think I remember this from childhood?

 

[duncombec]

I fear this may not be a funicular in the truest sense of the word, but the Stuttgart rack railway (Zahnradbahn, Zacke) has a number of intermediate stops.

Sadly the actual funicular, the Standseilbahn, doesn't! (Although it does have a passing loop)

 

[Cricketer8for9]

The Centrale funicular in Naples has even operated Diretto services missing out the intermediate stops. A city with electric trams, trolley buses, trains, metro, narrow gauge trains and funiculars can’t be all bad.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

I've taken the Gora to Sounzan "cable car" up Mount Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan which has four intermediate stops. It's actually a funicular railway which connects to a "ropeway" which we'd commonly call a cable car!

I wonder if there are any actual cable cars (ropeways) with intermediate stops? The ones they've built to serve the favella areas in South America, perhaps?

 

[Haywain]

I wonder if there are any actual cable cars (ropeways) with intermediate stops? The ones they've built to serve the favella areas in South America, perhaps?

I'm pretty sure that the systems in both Medellin and Bogota in Colombia have intermediate stations.