How does the funicular work? What is a funicular and what is its role in the modern world. Map with the exact location of the funicular

A funicular is a rope-traction rail vehicle designed to transport goods or people short distances along a steep route. Here is a list of the ten most famous cable cars in the world.

The Zagreb funicular is located on Tomica Street in the city of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It was built in 1890 and opened on April 23, 1893. The funicular is included in the list of cultural monuments of the Croatian capital, as it has retained its original appearance, design and most technical characteristics.

The line is only 66 meters long with a height difference of 30.5 m and an inclination angle of 52%, making it not only the shortest, but also one of the steepest passenger funiculars in the world. It has two carriages moving at a speed of 1.5 m/s and designed for 28 passengers each. The entire trip takes 55 seconds.

Montesanto


The Montesanto funicular is located in the city of Naples, Italy. It is part of the Naples metro connecting three stations, Morghen, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Montesanto. It was opened in 1891. The length of its line is 825 meters, rises to a height of 168 meters, and has an inclination angle of 23%. The carriages move at an average speed of seven meters per second, and the entire route takes four minutes and twenty-five seconds. The funicular carries more than 4 million passengers a year.

Guindais


Guindais funicular - located in the city of Porto, Portugal. It was originally opened on June 4, 1891, but was closed two years later due to a major accident. The reconstructed Guindais funicular began to function again only on February 19, 2004. The line, with a total length of 281 m, rises 61 meters and has two carriages that move at a speed of 5 m/s, with a capacity of 25 people each.

Flying Dutchman


The Flying Dutchman funicular is located near the Cape of Good Hope in the Western Cape, South Africa. It was opened in 1996. The line is 585 meters long and has an inclination of 16%, rising to a height of 87 meters. The capacity of the trailers is 40 passengers each. The trip lasts about 3 minutes. The total capacity of the line is about 450 passengers per hour. The name of the funicular comes from the legend of the ghost ship “The Flying Dutchman”.

Gloria


Sixth place in the list of the most famous cable cars in the world is occupied by the Gloria cable car, which is located in the center of Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened in 1885.


Fløibanen is a funicular railway in Bergen, Norway. It was officially opened on January 15, 1918. The length of its line is 850 m, and the height difference is 300 m. Two carriages with a capacity of 80 passengers each move at an average (depending on workload) speed of 6 m/s, making the entire journey in about seven minutes. The funicular is one of the most basic and popular attractions in Bergen and Norway. Fløibanen carries about 1 million passengers annually.


The Wellington Cable Car is located in the capital of New Zealand, Wellington. Connects the heart of the business district - Lambton Quay and the suburb of Kelburn. It was opened in 1902. The line is 628 meters long and rises 120 meters. The funicular is recognized as a symbol of Wellington.

Victoria Peak Tramway


In third place in the ranking of the most famous funiculars in the world is the Victoria Peak Funicular, located in Hong Kong, China. Designed to transport tourists and residents to the top of Victoria Peak - one of Hong Kong's main tourist attractions, which offers views of the city and nearby islands. The funicular was opened in 1888. The length of its line is 1365 meters.


The funicular is located on the highest Parisian hill, in the north of the city. It connects the foot of Montmartre with the highest point of Paris - the Sacré-Coeur Basilica. The funicular opened in 1900. And then it was completely rebuilt in 1935 and again in 1991. Today it carries two million passengers a year. The length of its line is 108 meters, along which the trailers rise and descend from a 36-meter height.

Budapest Castle Hill Funicular


Budapest Castle Hill is a funicular railway in the city of Budapest, Hungary. It links Adam Clark Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. It was opened on March 2, 1870, but was completely destroyed during the Second World War. The funicular was reopened only in June 1986. The length of its line is 95 meters, rises to a height of 51 m. The carriages, with a capacity of 24 passengers each, move at a speed of 1.5 m per second, spending approximately 90 seconds on the entire journey. An interesting feature of Budapest Castle Hill are the two pedestrian bridges that cross it.

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There are two main types of funiculars: one-car and two-car. The principle of operation of the first of them is quite simple: the engine located at the top of the cable car alternately raises and lowers the car using a rope. On some roads, the movement is controlled by an operator using a mechanical gripper. The gripper compresses the rope, which moves in a special recess under the surface. In order to stop the car, the operator only needs to release the grip. At the same time, the rope continues to move non-stop.

The most common type of funicular is with two non-motor cars. They are rigidly connected by a rope thrown over a pulley. The pulley itself and the engine that rotates it are also located at the top station of the funicular. The engine sets in motion a rope laid between the supporting rails, at the ends of which the cars are secured. Thus, they always move and stop at the same time, and separate exactly in the middle of the line. This scheme is the most economical: energy is spent not on raising and lowering cars, but actually on moving the difference in weight of two cars loaded differently with passengers, as well as on overcoming friction and braking. It is worth noting that the movement of the rope moving the cars is reversible. Its direction changes whenever the car or cars reach the end of the line.

If a two-car cable car has only one pair of rails, then a double-track section is made in the middle of the route so that oncoming cars can pass each other. Cars on such roads have different wheels on opposite sides. The left side wheels have a double flange rim, while the right side wheels have a smooth rim. When approaching a siding, the double flange wheels force the carriage to always switch to the left track.


If a rope breaks or its tension weakens on a cable car, a spring is automatically activated, compressing the rail with wedges on both sides. This prevents the car from uncontrollably rolling down the mountain in the event of an accident.


Funicular routes are usually made quite short - usually a few hundred meters - with a steep slope reaching 35 degrees. The slope of the cable car is usually constant, but sometimes varies slightly from one section to another. The funicular cars are designed individually for each route, taking into account its steepness. At the same time, the cable car lines never form a network, do not branch or intersect.

Funiculars are not only one of the most impressive types of transport in terms of panoramic views from the windows, but also allow you to organize the transportation of people and goods along the steepest routes. We will tell you about fourteen of the most amazing lifts.

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1. Duquesne and Monongiela funiculars (Pittsburgh, USA)

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, travel in the Rust Belt area of ​​Pittsburgh was carried out on inclined railroads, which, in the absence of safe regular roads, served to transport goods and residents. Today, only two of Pittsburgh's iconic cable cars are still in service. They both summit on the south side of Mount Washington. These include the super-cool 193-meter Monongiela (1870), the oldest cable car in the United States, and the 242-meter Duquesne (1877), which was restored by local residents after it closed in early 1960. Both are owned by the city of Pittsburgh, but Duquesne is operated by a nonprofit organization. Both cable cars are listed on the US National Register of Historic Places. These vehicles now attract quite a few tourists, especially the Duquesne, which leads to a small museum, gift shop and observation deck at the very top of Mount Washington. Most Pittsburghers can show you many ways to admire the "Steel City." But to see it in all its glory, you will have to ride an ancient cable car at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour to climb to the top of Mount Washington. Even acrophobes can handle it.

2. Funicular "Artillery" (Valparaiso, Chile)

Those who have been to the colorful Chilean city of Valparaiso can say that without a funicular you will not be able to get to the Paseo 21 de Mayo observation deck. This crazy bohemian paradise by the sea is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003. The city has many inclined railways that go around neighborhoods located on steep slopes. Although Valparaiso has almost 30 funiculars (most dating back to the 1890s and early 1900s), only a small fraction of these famous "asensores" (elevators) are in active use today. Many of them have been declared national treasures. So which one should you choose? Let's look at the Artillery funicular (1893). It is not the oldest (Concepción and Cordillera were the first) and not the longest in the city (the round trip lasts only 80 seconds), but nevertheless it has become the best place for photographs in Valparaiso. Perhaps this popularity is due to its brightly painted wooden carriages or the fact that Paseo 21 de Mayo offers the best view of the city. Unfortunately, it seems that Artillery will soon fail, but there are other alternatives besides it.

3. “Flight of Angels” (Los Angeles, USA)

Colorful and artsy, downtown Los Angeles isn't known for its cable cars, except for Angels Flight (1901), the last of the incline railways in a city that once had plenty of them. Built on a steep but short slope, it connected Hill Street and Olive Street in Bunker Hill, a central Los Angeles neighborhood. In 1969, after 68 years of service, the 90-meter funicular and its two carriages, Sinai and Olivet, were dismantled to make way for the ongoing redevelopment of the area. Almost 30 years later, in 1996, Angels Flight was finally remembered and restored near its original location. And then problems began: in 2001, as a result of an accident on the funicular, a person died and several others were injured. After an investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that this was due to glitches in the new transportation system. In 2010, when Sinai and Olivet repaired and replaced the faulty system, Angels Flight resumed operations. It was briefly taken out of service in 2011 for restoration work, and then closed again indefinitely in September 2013 after one of the carriages derailed (this time no one was killed). Meanwhile, Los Angeles has been forced to rebuild the lift again, leaving anyone wondering when the iconic railroad will welcome passengers again. After the latest closure, the Los Angeles Times published an article in which they reported the following: Angels Flight is one of the few remaining cable cars in the country and is a historical landmark in the city. In 1901, people traveled up and down for pennies. Today, a trip of one minute and four seconds is still cheap - 50 cents. As long as it's safe, let's keep driving."

4. “Carmelite” (Haifa, Israel)

While most of the cable cars on our list offer unique views as you climb up the mountainside, the Carmelite is different. This completely hidden underground railway has earned the honorary title of the smallest metro in the world. Carmelit is the only underground transport in Israel. The tunnel through which traffic goes is built in Mount Carmel. Its construction began in 1956, and the first passengers were accepted in 1959. From 1986 to 1992, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out, after which the funicular was opened again. The line has four cars (two for each train) and six stations. The top station "Gan A-Em" is located at an altitude of 274 meters above sea level. "Kikar-Paris" is the lower station where the depot and repair shops are located. A trip along the Carmelite from top to bottom takes about eight minutes.

5. "Flybanen" (Bergen, Norway)

The 850-metre Fløybanen funicular transports visitors to the top of Fløyen, one of the seven mountains surrounding the Norwegian city of Bergen. Many people would like this short (8 minute) trip up to the heights with three stops along the way to last forever. The views from the panoramic windows of the two carriages (blue and red) with glass ceilings are simply beyond description. If weather permits and you have enough time, be sure to rent a canoe to paddle around Skoemackerdike ("Shoemaker's Ditch"). Bring a map for your hike and stroll along forest paths or enjoy traditional Norwegian seafood dishes at a restaurant 300 meters above sea level.

6. Fourth Street Elevator (Dubuque, Iowa, USA)

The Fourth Street Elevator, also known as the Fenelon Elevator, was built because one rich guy really wanted to go home on his lunch break, but couldn't spend the entire 30 minutes riding in a horse-drawn carriage to get there every time. The home of J. C. Graves (a banker and former senator) was located at the top of a steep cliff, and in 1882 he began traveling back and forth in a kind of cable car. Although fares have increased greatly since then, the funicular is still in operation. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

7. Central Funicular (Naples, Italy)

If you are planning to visit Italy's third largest city with its hilly landscape, be sure to take a ride on the Metropolitana di Napoli and one of the four famous funiculars - Chiaia (1889), Montesanto (1891), Central (1928) and "Mergellina" (1931) - or for everyone in turn. Due to the chaotic landscape of the city and constant congestion, most residents prefer to ride the Central Funicular, which connects the four most important stations. This is the busiest and largest (1219 meters) inclined railway. The journey from Piazza Fuga station at Chichi Vomero to Augusteo takes just over 4 minutes. Speaking about the funiculars of Naples, it is worth mentioning the defunct (guess why) Vesuvius funicular, built in 1800.

8. "Johnstown" (Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA)

An hour and a half drive east to Cambria County Airport, you'll find "the world's steepest driveway." With a total length of 273 meters, the system's spacious cable cars lead up the slope of Yoder Hill at an incredibly steep angle (70.9 degrees), reaching an elevation of more than 487 meters. During major floods in 1936 and 1977, the path was used for its intended purpose - for evacuation from the city. The rest of the time it is very popular among tourists - a round trip costs $4.

9. Lookout Mountain (Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA)

Dubbed "America's Most Wonderful Mile," Lookout Mountain (1895) stretches just over a kilometer from Chattanooga's historic St. Elmo neighborhood to the summit of Lookout Mountain. Those with a fear of heights may find themselves squeezing their eyes shut throughout the 15-minute ride up and down, but that's simply unforgivable given the scenic panoramic views from the windows of the 42-seater carriage. Considering that a round trip costs $15, only tourists use this technical miracle. The funicular is especially popular with visitors interested in the American Civil War who are eager to get to Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Park.

10. Montmartre (Paris, France)

The 108-metre Montmartre funicular in the 18th arrondissement is one of the most recognizable funiculars in the world and carries more than 2 million passengers a year. In 1991, the system became fully automatic and began to attract visitors with its ultra-modernity. The Montmartre funicular is considered part of the Paris metro system and provides an alternative to the 300-step staircase leading to the Sacre Coeur Catholic Church. The current "Montmartre" is no longer a funicular in the traditional sense, but an inclined elevator, given that it now operates independently, without using the inclined technology of lifting with counterweights, as do classic funiculars. The entire trip takes 90 seconds.

11. "Nisenbahn" (Bern, Switzerland)

The Niesenbahn, a funicular railway in the Oberland region of the Swiss Alps, connects the village of Mälenen to the summit of the Swiss Pyramid. It is neither the oldest funicular in Switzerland (the oldest is the Giesbach, opened in 1879), nor the steepest (its maximum inclination angle is 68 degrees, while the Helmerbahn reaches 106), but it is the Niesenbahn that is the most long - 2.2 kilometers. Next to this funicular, the longest staircase in the world was built, which consists of 11,767 steps.

12. Funicular tram (Hong Kong)

Taking tourists to Victoria Peak (1364 meters), this funicular tram begins its journey from a site next to Hong Kong Park. It plays the role of an attraction for tourists, the ride on which costs about $5 in both directions. At the final station there is a shopping and entertainment center with many restaurants with observation decks. The trip to the Peak Tower - the very top of Victoria Peak - lasts 15 minutes, during which the cable car covers a distance of 3 kilometers at an angle of up to 45 degrees.

13. Wuppertal Cableway (Dresden, Germany)

The 1,448-metre-long Wuppertal Cable Car is a monorail tram system on elevated tracks. This is one of the oldest monorails. Most of it passes over the Wupper River at an altitude of 12 meters, and the train moves along it at a maximum speed of 60 km/h. Nowadays, the entire system has been modernized, but tourists are offered a ride on a real Kaiserwagen - the train that transported the emperor in 1900. Dresden also has a second cable car, but this time it is above ground. It leads from Körnerplatz to the Weißer Hirsch quarter. Along the 547-meter-long route, the funicular passes through two tunnels, and the maximum gradient of this road is only 29 degrees.

To begin with, do you know what the word funicular means? It came into use from French and Latin, and its literal translation couldn’t be simpler - rope or cord. Actually, it is a vehicle on rails, but with cable traction, which is used in difficult terrain conditions.

Previously, on the site of the Kyiv funicular there was a wooden staircase. You can imagine what it was like even for our physically stronger ancestors to rise from Podol to the Upper City, as it was then called. At the beginning of the 20th century, appropriate technology began to appear and city authorities began to think about how to improve transport links between the Lower and Upper towns. Andreevsky Descent was not immediately suitable due to its steepness and narrowness, so it was decided to make an electric rope lift in place of wooden stairs. It was built in 2 years and already in 1905, the Mikhailovsky funicular began operating (so named because of the one standing next to it).

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Its equipment and carriages were made in Switzerland. The carriages accommodated about 70 people and traveled at a speed of 2 meters per second. In the summer of 1928, trouble happened - while changing the rope, the upper carriage fell down and crashed into the lower one. No people were injured, but the carriages had to be restored from scratch. After their repair, they decided to extend the funicular line by another 40 meters all the way to Poshtova Square, which was implemented. After these works, the funicular needed reconstruction only in 1958, when the machinery, carriages were replaced and the stations were rebuilt, and in 1984, when an arch was added to the appearance of the lower station.

Interesting Facts:
— the route to Poshtovaya Square was included in the original project, but then the owner of one of the estates located on the funicular route opposed the implementation of the plan. The price she demanded as compensation was prohibitive for the city. Only with the establishment of Soviet power did the original idea come to life,
— those who wish can go up and down the steps, and not by cable car,
— the travel time of the trailer is up to 3 minutes,
— the stations are located from each other at an altitude of 76 meters.

Where is the Kyiv funicular?
Address: Poshtovaya Square, 33 (lower station), Desyatinnaya Street, 1 (upper station)
Opening hours: 06:30 - 23:00 (in summer and winter, deviations of +/- 1 hour are possible)

The cable car over the Moscow River, built for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, will be launched this summer. A 737-meter-long road will connect the observation deck on Vorobyovy Gory with the Luzhniki sports complex. Instead of 20 minutes, in which it was previously possible to cover this distance by car, the journey will take no more than five minutes.

There are three stations on the route: Kosygina, Vorobyovskaya and Luzhniki. The booths will follow two routes: a large circle (all three stations) and a small one (Kosygina - Vorobyovskaya). Open cabins will be launched in the small circle; cabins for eight people are provided for the large circle. It will also be possible to transport strollers or bicycles there.

The fare has not yet been approved, but, according to preliminary data, a round-trip ticket will cost 400-500 rubles. Athletes will be able to purchase season tickets. In the future, it is planned to pay for travel there using a Troika card.

Maxim Grigoriev/TASS

Another cable car is planned to be launched between the Skhodnenskaya and Rechnoy Vokzal metro stations. It will connect two areas separated by the Khimki Reservoir and will reduce travel time for passengers from 45 to seven minutes. The cable car should relieve congestion on the Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya and Zamoskvoretskaya lines, as well as a number of ground transport routes.

It is expected that this type of transport will be used by about 19 thousand people per day. The road will be integrated into the city public transport system, so you can pay for travel using a Troika card.

The transport facility is expected to be built on the principles of public-private partnership; the approximate volume of investment is estimated at 4 billion rubles. After completion of construction, the cable car will belong to Moscow, but the investor will be able to operate it for 22 years.

But in Nizhny Novgorod, problems with transport prompted the authorities to build a passenger cable car back in 2010. Residents of the city of Bora, located on the left bank of the Volga, had to spend several hours on the road to Nizhny Novgorod. This could be done via the only bridge across the Volga, on which there were many kilometers of traffic jams every day.


Alexey Filippov/RIA Novosti

The launch of the cable car took place in 2012. This is the longest cable crossing over water in Europe: its length is 861 meters, which is the official Russian record. The carriages cross the Volga in 12 minutes, each cabin is designed for eight seats; on average, about five thousand people use the cable car per day.

The cost of a single ticket is 100 rubles; there are also season tickets for 10-48 trips; there are discounts for students.

The cable car in Svetlogorsk has also become an important part of the city. With its help you can climb from the sandy beach to the hills with the main city infrastructure - the height difference in the city is 40 m. The cable car covers a path of 175 m in one direction in five minutes.

Igor Zarembo/RIA Novosti

Since 2010, the Svetlogorsk cable car was closed for repairs and opened only five years later. Now the updated road, consisting of 20 double closed cabins, works properly every summer season - from April to October. The fare is 25 rubles one way.

France

The only funicular in Paris is an inclined elevator of two cabins that can accommodate up to 60 people at a time. It departs from Rue Cardinal Dubois and ends between Place Saint-Pierre and Place Suzanne Valadon. With its help you can get to the highest point of Paris - Montmartre. The length of the route is only 108 meters, the travel time is no more than two minutes.


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The funicular is subordinate to the Paris metro, so the cost of travel on it is equal to the cost of one metro ticket - 1.7 euros. Almost 2 million people use it every year.

Georgia

There are two cable cars in Tbilisi: Rike Park - Narikala Fortress and Vake Park - Turtle Lake. The length of the first, launched in 2012, is 600 meters. Tourists can reach the observation deck at the very top of the cable car in just two minutes.

The entire system consists of seven glass booths with windows, each with a capacity of eight people. The fare is 2.5 lari (63 rubles) one way. There are discounts for students and pensioners.

Money for travel on the cable car is debited only from the Metromoney card - a universal travel card valid for almost all public transport in the city. The card can be bought at any metro station for two lari (50 rubles).

Kristina Bogacheva/Gazeta.Ru

The Turtle Lake Cable Car was recently renovated and opened late last year. This is the longest cable car in Tbilisi - the journey takes six to seven minutes. The fare costs one lari (25 rubles) per person one way using a Metromoney card.

The Tbilisi funicular is considered a separate attraction. It has three stations: lower, middle (Pantheon) and upper (Mtatsminda). The funicular covers the entire distance, including a stop at an intermediate station, in five minutes. The ticket price is two lari (50 rubles) one way per person until 00:00, after midnight the price rises to three lari (75 rubles).

To travel on the funicular, you need to purchase a special plastic card at the ticket office at the lower station for an additional two lari and put cash on it. Unlike Metromoney, this card cannot be returned.

Portugal

Of course, you can’t do without city ski lifts in Portugal, which is famous for its cities with hilly terrain. Thus, in the capital of the country, this feature of the landscape constantly caused difficulties in the movement of local residents and tourists in areas, for example, from the lower Baixa district to the upper Carmu. Even nearby streets in Lisbon can be connected by steep stairs, which only city dwellers with good physical fitness can climb. For the convenience of residents and ease of movement around Lisbon, there are as many as four funiculars and a cable car.


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The Lisbon cable car is located in the Parc des Nations, along the Tagus River. Its first stop is located near the aquarium, the second - near the tower. The length of the cable car is 1.23 km, the duration of the trip one way is eight minutes. The cost of a one-way trip is 3.95 euros, and 5.90 euros for a round trip. Moreover, throughout Portugal, tickets for cable cars and funiculars are purchased separately; you cannot use a single pass.

Prices for cable cars also average 4 euros. Two of them - Bika and Lavra - are national monuments, and the Santa Justa funicular is the only vertical elevator in the entire city.

Due to its hilly terrain, Porto appears to be on two levels, so the Teleferico de Gaia cable car serves as a means of transporting people from one level to the other. The cabin flies over the historical part of Vila Nova de Gaia for five minutes. The final stop is the Cais de Gaia promenade. A round-trip ticket for an adult is 8 euros, for a child - 4 euros.


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The mountainous terrain of the Portuguese island of Madeira makes a cable car a necessity rather than an amenity. The funicular there was opened in 2005, it consists of 40 closed cabins with eight seats each. Travel time is 15 minutes. A one-way ticket costs 10 euros, a return ticket costs 15 euros. There are discounted tickets for children that can be purchased at half price.

Italy

The cable car in Naples allows everyone to climb from the seashore to the top of Mount Faito in eight minutes. The ascent height is one kilometer. The lower station of the cable car is located in the commune of Castellammare di Stabia at an altitude of nine meters above sea level, the final station is at the top of Monte Faito at an altitude of almost 1.1 km.


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The historic Monte Faito cable car first opened in 1952 and operated intermittently until 1990. In 2012, the cable car was closed due to a lack of funding, but in May 2016 it resumed operation.

Czech

The oldest funicular in the world is located in Prague. It starts near the Uyezd tram stop and is part of the city’s transport links along the route Uyezd - Nebozizek - Petrin, at the very top of which there is the so-called Hungry Wall.

Two cable car cabins on a 510 m long track cover a height of 130 meters in four minutes. Opening in 1891, the transport line initially operated on gravity (water) power, but was electrified in 1932.


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The funicular belongs to the category of urban public transport, accordingly, standard travel tickets are valid there, which cost - in Russian money - 90 rubles for a long-term fare and 67 rubles for a short-term one.

Two large residential areas are cut off from each other by the Khimki Reservoir, and there are simply no convenient ways to get across it. And the cable car will allow people to even just go shopping to the other side, something they couldn’t afford before.”

“In the modification in which cable cars will be made in Moscow, it is still more of an attraction,” says a leading researcher at the Center for Research on Transport Problems of Megacities. — On Vorobyovy Gory the cable car doesn’t even approach the building and ends at the observation deck. On the other hand, it could technically be extended to the MCC station, but this was not done. Now this road will connect purely recreational facilities. Apart from people who hang out there on weekends, no one is interested in this.”

All over the world, cable cars still represent more of an auxiliary transport - either where there is a large difference in elevation, or where it is necessary to overcome some kind of water obstacles. Their carrying capacity is still small, an expert at the Probok.net center is sure: “it is comparable only to one minibus flight.”

At the same time, Trofimenko believes that the state does not have a goal to recoup the cable cars through ticket sales - they are being built rather as a tourist infrastructure facility. “In general, cable cars should be cheaper to operate than traditional public transport,” he said.

“As far as I imagine the concept of cable cars, this is not a mass form of transport at all. As a rule, these are more tourist routes. Those cable cars that will open in Moscow will probably absorb some of the passenger traffic, but will not carry any global meaning. At least on a metropolitan scale,” notes Ekaterina Reshetova, senior researcher at the Center for Transport Economics at the Higher School of Economics.