Funicular de Vallvidrera

The Funicular de Vallvidrera, or Vallvidrera funicular, is a funicular railway in the Vallvidrera district of the city of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It connects the Peu de Funicular railway station on the Metro del Vallès suburban line (funicular station Vallvidrera Inferior), to the top of the Tibidabo hill (Vallvidrera Superior), with an intermediate stop just above the line's mid-point (Carretera de les Aigües).

The line was opened in 1906 and rebuilt, with new cars, in 1998. It mostly carries commuters, and runs every 6 minutes on weekdays, less frequently on weekends and public holidays.cite web | url = http://world.nycsubway.org/eu/es/barcelona.html | title = Barcelona (Metro) | publisher = nycsubway.org | accessdate = March 7 | accessyear = 2007] cite web | url = http://www.funiculars.net/line.php?id=8 | title = Vallvidrera, Barcelona | publisher = Funiculars.net | accessdate = March 7 | accessyear = 2007]

The funicular has the following technical parameters:cite web | url = http://www.funiculars.net/line.php?id=8 | title = Vallvidrera, Barcelona | publisher = Funiculars.net | accessdate = March 7 | accessyear = 2007]

*Length: "729 metres"
*Height: "165 metres"
*Maximum Steepness: "30.9%"
*Cars: "2"
*Capacity: "50 passengers per car"
*Configuration: "Single track with passing loop"
*Maximum speed: "5 metres per second"
*Track gauge: "1 metre"
*Traction: "Electricity"
*Operation: "Fully automatic"

The Funicular de Vallvidrera is operated by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya ("Catalan Government Railways", FGC), who also operate the Metro del Vallès line and other suburban lines in and around Barcelona, along with three other funiculars and two rack railways. The funicular is one of three in Barcelona, the others being the Funicular de Montjuïc and the Funicular de Tibidabo, although neither of these is operated by the FGC.cite web | url = http://world.nycsubway.org/eu/es/barcelona.html | title = Barcelona (Metro) | publisher = nycsubway.org | accessdate = March 7 | accessyear = 2007]

References

External links

* [http://www.fgc.cat/accesible/eng/viatjar/funiculars.htm Funiculars page from the official FGC website] (in English; limited information other than timetable)
* [http://www.trenscat.com/metrovalles/funivallvidrera_ct.html Photographic description and map of the line from Trens de Catalunya] (in Catalan)