Odessa Funicular

Odessa Funicular
(Одеський фунікулер)
Odessa Funicular ; (Одеський фунікулер)
Overview
Locale	Odessa, Ukraine
Coordinates	46°29′18.2″N 30°44′31.9″E / 46.488389°N 30.742194°ECoordinates: 46°29′18.2″N 30°44′31.9″E / 46.488389°N 30.742194°E
Termini	Morsky Port (lower station); (upper station)
Stations	2
Service
Type	Inclined lift
History
Opened	1902
Technical
Line length	130 metres (430 ft)
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)

The Odessa Funicular (Ukrainian: Одеський фунікулер; Russian: Одесский фуникулёр), serves the Ukrainian city of Odessa. Running alongside the Potemkin Stairs, it connects the with the Port of Odessa.^[1]

Despite what its name suggests, in its modern state the Odessa Funicular is not technically a funicular, but rather a double inclined lift.^[1]^[2] The system was built by the "Skylift" from Kyiv.

History[]

Odessa Funicular, circa early XX century

The funicular was designed by the engineer N. I. Pyatnitsky and opened on 8 June 1902. It was equipped with two passenger cabins for 35 persons each delivered from Paris.

In 1969 the original system was replaced by a cascade of escalators, which had to be closed in 1997.

Then in 1998, the city council decided to restore the service, this time in the form of an inclined elevator. Construction started in the same year, but they were delayed until 2005, and the ropeway was reopened on 2 September 2005.^[1]

Service was interrupted for much of 2016 due to repairs to the Potemkin Stairs.^[3]

Route[]

Located in the old town, the central city district, the line starts at the Primorsky Boulevard (Primorsky Bulvar), in which lies the upper station, that is close to the Opera Theater. The line and ends at Primorska Street (Prymorska Vulitsya), by the Black Sea coastline. The lower station, "Morsky Port", lies in front of the city port and is next to the port's railway station.

Originally built with a single track and a passing loop in the middle, it now has two metre gauge^{[citation needed]} tracks and runs for 130 metres (430 ft)^[1] alongside the Potemkin Stairs and Stambulsky Park. Each car has capacity for 12 passengers, and the ride takes 3.5 minutes.^[1]