Funiculaire de Pau
Encyclopedia
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
in the city of Pau in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a department in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.- History :...
département of southwestern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It links the Boulevard des Pyrénées
Boulevard des Pyrénées
The Boulevard des Pyrénées is a boulevard in the town of Pau in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of south-west France. With buildings on its northern side only, and a terrace overlooking the valley of the Gave de Pau to its south, the boulevard is notable for its panoramic view of the peaks of...
, on the level of the city centre and the Château de Pau
Château de Pau
The Château de Pau is a castle in the centre of Pau, the capital of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Béarn. King Henry IV of France and Navarre was born here on December 13, 1553....
, to Pau railway station
Gare de Pau
Pau is a railway station in Pau, Aquitaine, France. The station is located on the Toulouse - Bayonne and Pau - Canfranc railway lines. The station is served by TGV , Lunéa , Intercités and TER services operated by the SNCF.-Train Services:The following services currently call at Pau:*intercity...
in the valley of the Gave de Pau
Gave de Pau
The Gave de Pau is a river of south-western France and a left tributary of the Adour. It takes its name from the city Pau, through which it flows. The river is in length, and its source is at the Cirque de Gavarnie in the Pyrenees mountains....
below.
The funicular was brought into service in 1908. The current cabins date from 1961 and were refurbished at the end of 2006. The service has been free since 1978, and is provided by the city of Pau. It carries some 500,000 passengers a year, with a monthly peak of 50,000 passengers and a daily average of 1,500 people.
The funicular has the following technical parameters:
- Length: 103 metres
- Height: 26 metres
- Maximum steepness: 30 %
- Configuration: Single track with passing loop
- Capacity: 30 passengers per car
- Frequency: Every 3 minutes
As of May 2010, the line is closed for four months for a major refurbishment.