Fourvière Funicular at Vieux-Lyon. Photo by Bernard Chatreau, July 2000.

Overview

Of the original funiculars in Lyon, two remain and a third is now a part of the Metro Line C. The oldest, the Rue Terme funicular, opened 3 June 1862, but closed in 1967 and its right-of-way is now a street.

The Saint-Just funicular runs from Saint-Jean Vieux Lyon (transfer to Métro line D) to Saint-Just, with an intermediate stop at Les Minimes (where there are many vestiges of the Roman period). Since the Métro opening, the funiculars serve mostly as branch lines for the Métro. The first Saint-Just funicular ran on 8 August 1878 (as a standard gauge railway). The line became a rack railway in 1901, then a funicular again in 1958 (metric gauge). It features grades between 9% and 18%. The line runs mostly underground, except at the lower terminal and at Les Minimes station. The cars pictures in the 1984 photographs were built by Schlieren in 1958. The two-car trains in the year 2000 photos were 1988 and look like Métro cars.

The Fourvière funicular line opened on 6 September 1900 to connect Saint-Jean to the new Basilique de Fourvière (a church on the top of the Fourvière hill). It is a 1.10m gauge railway; the current rolling stock was built in 1970 by Von Roll. Mostly underground except near the lower station. There is a transfer to Métro line D at Saint-Jean Vieux-Lyon, close to the Saint-Just funicular (the lines start in the same building).

Photo Gallery

Five Random Images
Image 22977 (101k, 556x850) Photo by: Bernard Chatreau Location: Fourvière	Image 22993 (91k, 850x562) Photo by: Bernard Chatreau Location: Saint-Jean Vieux-Lyon	Image 22994 (111k, 560x850) Photo by: Bernard Chatreau Location: Saint-Jean Vieux-Lyon	Image 22996 (171k, 850x563) Photo by: Bernard Chatreau Location: Saint-Just	Image 49225 (147k, 576x720) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Saint-Jean Vieux-Lyon

Page Credits

By David Pirmann.