Montmartre funicular
Encyclopedia
The Montmartre funicular is an automatic funicular railway serving the Montmartre
neighbourhood of Paris, in the Eighteenth arrondissement. It is operated by the RATP, the Paris transport authority. It was opened on 13 July 1900 and was entirely rebuilt in 1935 and again in 1991.
The funicular carries passengers from the base of the (outlier
) of Montmartre to the summit, near the base of the Sacré-Cœur basilica, and back down. It provides an alternative to the multiple stairways of more than 300 steps that lead to the top of the Butte Montmartre. At 108 m (354 ft) long, the funicular climbs and drops the 36 m (118 ft) in under a minute and a half. It carries two million passengers a year.
.
The lower station was built between the and the , and the upper one on the . The funicular runs alongside the Rue Foyatier
, a wide 220-step staircase.
, the new funicular with electrical traction entered service on 1 June 1991. It has two independent cabins with sixty places each. Its capacity is passengers per hour in each direction. A trip in either direction, which covers a vertical distance of 36 m (118 ft) over a track distance of 108 m (354 ft), takes less than 90 seconds. The funicular is double track
at standard gauge
of and the gradient is as high as 35.2% (a little steeper than 1:3).
The technology of the funicular is derived from that of standard elevator
s, which allows each car to function independently, with its own hoist and cables. This allows one car to remain in service if the other must be taken out of service for maintenance. At busy times, both cabins can ascend at the same time (usually, more passengers use the funicular to ascend than to descend).
The see-through stations were designed by the architect François Deslaugiers
, while the new cabins with their distinctive glass sections were by the industrial designer Roger Tallon
, who also designed the carriages of the TGV Atlantique. The cabin roofs are partly glazed, which allows a view while in transit of the Montmartre Basilica or the panorama over Paris.
through a concession that ended in 1931. Thereafter, the Société des transports en commun de la région parisienne (STCRP) took control, and this was nationalized together with the (CMP) to form the (RATP), which continues to operate the funicular today.
The original funicular was water-powered, using a system of cisterns of five cubic metres each that were filled or emptied to move the cars and to compensate for passenger load. In 1935, the system was converted to electricity. The funicular was completely rebuilt by the RATP in 1990–1991.
The funicular was shut down after a minor accident during tests by the RATP in December 2006. It reopened in July 2007.
The construction of the Montmartre funicular was decided upon by the Paris municipal council in 1891. It was built to serve the Sacré-Cœur Basilica at the summit of the outlier
of Montmartre and was inaugurated on 5 June 1891. If built according to the plan of the project selected initially the funicular would have used electrical traction and had a much longer route, serving six stations as well as two termini. It ended up being far more modest with only two terminal stations, and using water-filled counterweight
s for motion.
The funicular entered service on 12 or 13 July (sources vary), and its operation was handed over to the Decauville
company with a contract lasting until 1931. However, lacking the necessary authorisation from the Paris Prefecture of Police
to run the service, the company had to close the funicular from 24 November 1900 until 22 May 1901.
The funicular was of double track
at standard gauge
, using the Strub rack system for braking. The rails were supported by sleepers
made of structural steel
, supported on concrete pedestals.
The system was powered by two sealed water tanks with a capacity of 5 m³ (176.6 cu ft) placed underneath the floor of each cabin. The cabin's tank was refilled at the upper station which allowed its descent under gravity with the combined weight of the passengers and the water, enabling the other carriage to ascend. A steam engine situated at the lower station worked the filling pumps at the upper station. The cabins had a capacity of forty-eight passengers in four closed compartments arranged like a staircase; the two end platforms were reserved for the driver and brakeman
. These were retained for a brake system established on the rack railway
. This system transported a million passengers a year for some thirty years.
, allowing a cabin holding fifty people to make the journey in 70 seconds at a speed of 2 m/s (4.5 mph). The cabins were no longer arranged like a staircase but composed of a single compartment with a horizontal floor.
By 1955, the line was in service from 7 am until 9 pm in winter and until 11 pm in summer, entry to the station being made by cancelling a bus ticket. In 1962, the funicular transported passengers and operations were suspended for some weeks for a new renovation. The line was opened in the presence of "" (Parisian illustrators) and Émile Kérembrun, the President of the , a philanthropic society.
. The idea was abandoned due to its high cost.
The RATP entirely rebuilt the funicular in 1990–1991 on the same design. Operations ceased on 1 October 1991, being substituted with a minibus service, the "Montmartrobus", between the Place Pigalle
and the top of the , until the new funicular entered service on 5 October 1991. The old stations were demolished and rebuilt to the designs of the architect François Deslaugiers, being largely of glass and transparent. The works were undertaken by Schindler Group
, a lift manufacturer, and cost 43.1 million francs
.
Since its latest renovation, the funicular uses angled lift technology with electrical traction and is no longer a funicular in the proper sense: it no longer functions with the traditional alternative movement of funiculars (where the descending cabin acts as a counterweight to the ascending one). The machinery resides in the higher station; it is composed of two totally independent AKROS winches powered by 130 kW motors. The cabins each weigh 6 tonnes (5.9 LT) unladen, 10 tonnes when full. They have a service brake and an emergency brake. The carriages and chassis were made by Skirail, and the electrics by Poma
.
Operation is entirely automatic: The presence and number of passengers are detected by a system combining electronic balance scales mounted in the cabin floor, and radar
in the stations. A computer determines the cabin's departure, indicated with a display board in the cabin. According to the amount of passenger traffic, it chooses between the two possible operating speeds, 2 m/s (4.5 mph) or 3.5 m/s (7.8 mph). For safety, the platform edge doors open only when a cabin is present, as on the Paris Métro Line 14
and some stations on London's Jubilee Line
.
On 7 December 2006 at 5.50 pm, a cabin crashed down the slope during a brake system test by the RATP. The terminal of the lifting cable broke. The service was suspended, adding to the problems of the residents and traders on the , the first having to make do with a less-frequent replacement bus service, the second seeing their trading levels fall (20–30% lower than for December 2006) from having fewer tourists. One of the two cabins was put back in service on 30 June 2007, the other on 2 August 2008.
The funicular is considered to be part of the Paris Métro
network, and so has similar pricing. The two stations each have turnstile
s which can read magnetic tickets and Navigo passes. They thus allow access via all RATP payment methods, from the single-journey Ticket "t" to the long-abandoned , via the , , and so on.
There is no direct transport interchange, except with the "Montmartrobus" which has a stop in the Rue du Cardinal-Dubois in front of the upper station and offers a free interchange. Nevertheless, two métro stations are within easy walking distance of the lower station: Anvers
on Line 2
about 200 m (218.7 yd) to the south and Abbesses
on Line 12
about 350 m (382.8 yd) to the west.
The funicular is considered a special line not coming under the Ticket T+ fare rules for interchanges; a passenger coming from the Métro with an already-cancelled Ticket T+ must use a second ticket for the funicular, and vice versa.
The ("Allocation codes") of the lower and upper stations are respectively
, or
, in the renovation project of the Fort d'Issy quarter, and to link the Meudon-sur-Seine station on Paris Tramway Line 2
with the Gare de Bellevue
, which would recreate the old Bellevue funicular
at Meudon
, demolished in 1934.
and Philippe Noiret
, and it also appears in (1997), (2006) and Louise (take 2)
(1998).
In the first pilot episode of the police series , a chase takes place on the Rue Foyatier
steps alongside the funicular; the character played by Jean-Pierre Castaldi
runs up it to catch the crooks. Similarly in the film (2009), Michel Fernandez (Thierry Frémont
) flees by the stairs, chased by Nora Chahyd (Rachida Brakni
) who takes the funicular.
Jean-Pierre Melville opened his film (1956) with a tracking shot
around the Montmartre quarter where the film is set, and voiceover then says "" ("It is at one and the same time heaven ... and ... hell").
The funicular figures in an eponymous work by Jean Marchand
(1883–1940), on view at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
. It appears in literature in a short story by Boileau-Narcejac
titled ("The enigma of the funicular"), published in 1971 in the review , and also in the works of Jacques Charpentreau who, in a poem entitled , compares the cabins to two contradictory brothers: ("When one flies into the air, the other falls to the ground/ And la, la la").
It appears in the video game Midnight Club 2 (2003).
In October 2006, at the request of the website for its "" ("concerts to download"), the singer Cali
made an appearance in one of the funicular's cabins surrounded by passengers, singing her song ("The end of the world in ten minutes") from the album as it ascended.
The funicular appears, next to the Sacré-Cœur, in many miniature park
s, such as France Miniature
at Élancourt
(where it was added twice) and Mini-Europe
at Brussels
.
|place=Paris|year=1992|isbn=978-2902808427|language=French|ref=harv}} ("Paris tramways")|year=1992|asin=B00175PCGO|edition=3rd|ref=harv}}
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
neighbourhood of Paris, in the Eighteenth arrondissement. It is operated by the RATP, the Paris transport authority. It was opened on 13 July 1900 and was entirely rebuilt in 1935 and again in 1991.
The funicular carries passengers from the base of the (outlier
Inliers and outliers (geology)
An inlier is an area of older rocks surrounded by younger rocks. Inliers are typically formed by the erosion of overlying younger rocks to reveal a limited exposure of the older underlying rocks. Faulting or folding may also contribute to the observed outcrop pattern...
) of Montmartre to the summit, near the base of the Sacré-Cœur basilica, and back down. It provides an alternative to the multiple stairways of more than 300 steps that lead to the top of the Butte Montmartre. At 108 m (354 ft) long, the funicular climbs and drops the 36 m (118 ft) in under a minute and a half. It carries two million passengers a year.
Characteristics
The funicular is open every day from 6 am until 12.45 am, transporting people a day, or around 2 million a year, mostly tourists and pilgrims en route to the Sacré-Cœur, and also Parisians and those who love the ambience of the Place du TertrePlace du Tertre
The Place du Tertre is a square in Paris' XVIIIe arrondissement. Only a few streets away from Montmartre's Basilica of the Sacré Cœur and the Lapin Agile, it is the heart of the city's elevated Montmartre quarter....
.
The lower station was built between the and the , and the upper one on the . The funicular runs alongside the Rue Foyatier
Rue Foyatier
The Rue Foyatier is a street on the Montmartre , in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Opened in 1867, it was given its current name in 1875, after the sculptor Denis Foyatier . It is one of the most famous streets in Paris, because it consists essentially of flights of stairs giving access to the...
, a wide 220-step staircase.
Current funicular
Constructed by Schindler GroupSchindler Group
thumb|200px|Schindler Test Tower in Ebikon, Lucerne, SwitzerlandSchindler was founded in Switzerland in 1874 and is the largest manufacturer of escalators and the second largest manufacturer of elevators world wide. Schindler produces, installs, maintains and modernizes elevators and escalators in...
, the new funicular with electrical traction entered service on 1 June 1991. It has two independent cabins with sixty places each. Its capacity is passengers per hour in each direction. A trip in either direction, which covers a vertical distance of 36 m (118 ft) over a track distance of 108 m (354 ft), takes less than 90 seconds. The funicular is double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
at standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
of and the gradient is as high as 35.2% (a little steeper than 1:3).
The technology of the funicular is derived from that of standard elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s, which allows each car to function independently, with its own hoist and cables. This allows one car to remain in service if the other must be taken out of service for maintenance. At busy times, both cabins can ascend at the same time (usually, more passengers use the funicular to ascend than to descend).
The see-through stations were designed by the architect François Deslaugiers
François Deslaugiers
François Deslaugiers was a French architect.- Education :After leaving school, Deslaugiers undertook khâgne at the Paris schools Lycée Janson-de-Sailly and then Lycée Henri-IV...
, while the new cabins with their distinctive glass sections were by the industrial designer Roger Tallon
Roger Tallon
- Biography :After studying as an engineer , Tallon was employed by Caterpillar France and DuPont. In 1953, he joined Technès, the technical and aesthetic studies office founded in 1949 by the father of industrial aesthetics Jacques Viénot, and Jean Parthenay...
, who also designed the carriages of the TGV Atlantique. The cabin roofs are partly glazed, which allows a view while in transit of the Montmartre Basilica or the panorama over Paris.
History
The Paris city government voted to construct the Montmartre funicular in 1891. Initially, operation of the funicular was subcontracted to DecauvilleDecauville
The Decauville manufacturing company was founded by Paul Decauville , a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel sleepers; this track was portable and could be disassembled and transported...
through a concession that ended in 1931. Thereafter, the Société des transports en commun de la région parisienne (STCRP) took control, and this was nationalized together with the (CMP) to form the (RATP), which continues to operate the funicular today.
The original funicular was water-powered, using a system of cisterns of five cubic metres each that were filled or emptied to move the cars and to compensate for passenger load. In 1935, the system was converted to electricity. The funicular was completely rebuilt by the RATP in 1990–1991.
The funicular was shut down after a minor accident during tests by the RATP in December 2006. It reopened in July 2007.
Chronology
- 5 June 1891: Decision to create a funicular at Montmartre
- 12 or 13 July 1900: Inauguration of the first water-driven funicular
- 1 November 1931: Closure of the water-driven funicular
- 2 February 1935: Opening of the electric funicular
- 1 October 1990: Closure of the funicular for the second renovation
- 5 October 1991: Opening of the modern funicular
- 7 December 2006: Accident during a brake load test, without passengers
Origins
Inliers and outliers (geology)
An inlier is an area of older rocks surrounded by younger rocks. Inliers are typically formed by the erosion of overlying younger rocks to reveal a limited exposure of the older underlying rocks. Faulting or folding may also contribute to the observed outcrop pattern...
of Montmartre and was inaugurated on 5 June 1891. If built according to the plan of the project selected initially the funicular would have used electrical traction and had a much longer route, serving six stations as well as two termini. It ended up being far more modest with only two terminal stations, and using water-filled counterweight
Counterweight
A counterweight is an equivalent counterbalancing weight that balances a load.-Uses:A counterweight is often used in traction lifts , cranes and funfair rides...
s for motion.
The funicular entered service on 12 or 13 July (sources vary), and its operation was handed over to the Decauville
Decauville
The Decauville manufacturing company was founded by Paul Decauville , a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel sleepers; this track was portable and could be disassembled and transported...
company with a contract lasting until 1931. However, lacking the necessary authorisation from the Paris Prefecture of Police
Prefecture of Police
The Prefecture of Police , headed by the Prefect of Police , is an agency of the Government of France which provides the police force for the city of Paris and the surrounding three suburban départements of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne...
to run the service, the company had to close the funicular from 24 November 1900 until 22 May 1901.
The funicular was of double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
at standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, using the Strub rack system for braking. The rails were supported by sleepers
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
made of structural steel
Structural steel
Structural steel is steel construction material, a profile, formed with a specific shape or cross section and certain standards of chemical composition and mechanical properties...
, supported on concrete pedestals.
The system was powered by two sealed water tanks with a capacity of 5 m³ (176.6 cu ft) placed underneath the floor of each cabin. The cabin's tank was refilled at the upper station which allowed its descent under gravity with the combined weight of the passengers and the water, enabling the other carriage to ascend. A steam engine situated at the lower station worked the filling pumps at the upper station. The cabins had a capacity of forty-eight passengers in four closed compartments arranged like a staircase; the two end platforms were reserved for the driver and brakeman
Brakeman
A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job it was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes on trains made this role redundant, although the name lives on in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions...
. These were retained for a brake system established on the rack railway
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
. This system transported a million passengers a year for some thirty years.
First renovation, 1931
When the contract expired, the Mayor of Paris and the Seine Department charged the (STCRP) with running the service and modernising the infrustructure. The rack system was deemed too dangerous and so the initial system was shut down; operations ceased on 1 November 1931. The water-driven system was replaced by two electrically driven cabins and reopened on 2 February 1935 after an interruption of more than three years. Traction was provided by a winch driven by a 50 hp electric motorElectric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
, allowing a cabin holding fifty people to make the journey in 70 seconds at a speed of 2 m/s (4.5 mph). The cabins were no longer arranged like a staircase but composed of a single compartment with a horizontal floor.
By 1955, the line was in service from 7 am until 9 pm in winter and until 11 pm in summer, entry to the station being made by cancelling a bus ticket. In 1962, the funicular transported passengers and operations were suspended for some weeks for a new renovation. The line was opened in the presence of "" (Parisian illustrators) and Émile Kérembrun, the President of the , a philanthropic society.
Second renovation, 1991
After fifty-five years of operation, transporting two million passengers annually, the funicular was in need of renovation. A novel idea was proposed by the RATP and the Mairie de Paris: lengthen the line with a tunnel to the Anvers métro stationAnvers (Paris Metro)
Anvers is a station on Paris Métro Line 2, on the border of the 9th and the 18th arrondissements in Montmartre.The station was opened on 21 October 1902 as part of the extension of line 2 from Étoile. It was the eastern terminus of the line until its extension to Bagnolet on 31 January 1903...
. The idea was abandoned due to its high cost.
The RATP entirely rebuilt the funicular in 1990–1991 on the same design. Operations ceased on 1 October 1991, being substituted with a minibus service, the "Montmartrobus", between the Place Pigalle
Place Pigalle
The Place Pigalle is a public square located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, between the Boulevard de Clichy and the Boulevard de Rochechouart, near Sacré-Cœur, at the foot of the Montmartre hill...
and the top of the , until the new funicular entered service on 5 October 1991. The old stations were demolished and rebuilt to the designs of the architect François Deslaugiers, being largely of glass and transparent. The works were undertaken by Schindler Group
Schindler Group
thumb|200px|Schindler Test Tower in Ebikon, Lucerne, SwitzerlandSchindler was founded in Switzerland in 1874 and is the largest manufacturer of escalators and the second largest manufacturer of elevators world wide. Schindler produces, installs, maintains and modernizes elevators and escalators in...
, a lift manufacturer, and cost 43.1 million francs
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
.
Since its latest renovation, the funicular uses angled lift technology with electrical traction and is no longer a funicular in the proper sense: it no longer functions with the traditional alternative movement of funiculars (where the descending cabin acts as a counterweight to the ascending one). The machinery resides in the higher station; it is composed of two totally independent AKROS winches powered by 130 kW motors. The cabins each weigh 6 tonnes (5.9 LT) unladen, 10 tonnes when full. They have a service brake and an emergency brake. The carriages and chassis were made by Skirail, and the electrics by Poma
Poma
Poma, also known as Pomagalski S.A. is a French company, specialising in construction of cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, people movers, and surface lifts. Poma has installed more than 7800 devices on five continents,...
.
Operation is entirely automatic: The presence and number of passengers are detected by a system combining electronic balance scales mounted in the cabin floor, and radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
in the stations. A computer determines the cabin's departure, indicated with a display board in the cabin. According to the amount of passenger traffic, it chooses between the two possible operating speeds, 2 m/s (4.5 mph) or 3.5 m/s (7.8 mph). For safety, the platform edge doors open only when a cabin is present, as on the Paris Métro Line 14
Paris Metro Line 14
Line 14 of the Paris Métro system connects the stations Saint Lazare and Olympiades on a north-west south-east diagonal across the centre of Paris. It is the twelfth busiest of sixteen lines on the network, and as of 2011, the only one to be operated completely automatically; the second such line...
and some stations on London's Jubilee Line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
.
On 7 December 2006 at 5.50 pm, a cabin crashed down the slope during a brake system test by the RATP. The terminal of the lifting cable broke. The service was suspended, adding to the problems of the residents and traders on the , the first having to make do with a less-frequent replacement bus service, the second seeing their trading levels fall (20–30% lower than for December 2006) from having fewer tourists. One of the two cabins was put back in service on 30 June 2007, the other on 2 August 2008.
Operation
The funicular is considered to be part of the Paris Métro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
network, and so has similar pricing. The two stations each have turnstile
Turnstile
A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
s which can read magnetic tickets and Navigo passes. They thus allow access via all RATP payment methods, from the single-journey Ticket "t" to the long-abandoned , via the , , and so on.
There is no direct transport interchange, except with the "Montmartrobus" which has a stop in the Rue du Cardinal-Dubois in front of the upper station and offers a free interchange. Nevertheless, two métro stations are within easy walking distance of the lower station: Anvers
Anvers (Paris Metro)
Anvers is a station on Paris Métro Line 2, on the border of the 9th and the 18th arrondissements in Montmartre.The station was opened on 21 October 1902 as part of the extension of line 2 from Étoile. It was the eastern terminus of the line until its extension to Bagnolet on 31 January 1903...
on Line 2
Paris Metro Line 2
Line 2 is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system in Paris, France. Situated almost entirely above the former city walls , it runs in a semi-circle in the north of Paris....
about 200 m (218.7 yd) to the south and Abbesses
Abbesses (Paris Metro)
Abbesses is a station on Paris Métro Line 12, in the Montmartre district and the 18th arrondissement. Abbesses is one of the few deep stations of Paris métro, at 36 metres below ground, as it is located on western side of the butte of Montmartre...
on Line 12
Paris Metro Line 12
Paris Métro Line 12 is one of sixteen metro lines in Paris, France. It links Issy-les-Moulineaux in southern Paris to Porte de la Chapelle in the north. With 72 million journeys per year, Line 12 is the eleventh busiest on the Parisian Métropolitan system...
about 350 m (382.8 yd) to the west.
The funicular is considered a special line not coming under the Ticket T+ fare rules for interchanges; a passenger coming from the Métro with an already-cancelled Ticket T+ must use a second ticket for the funicular, and vice versa.
The ("Allocation codes") of the lower and upper stations are respectively
31-02 and 31-03. Code 31 corresponds to the Quartier PigalleQuartier Pigalle
Pigalle is an area in Paris around the Place Pigalle, on the border between the 9th and the 18th arrondissements. It is named after the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle ....
, or
FUNB and FUNH.Finance
The RATP finances the line's operation (maintenance, infrastructure and cost of personnel). Fares are set by political decisions which do not cover the true cost of transportation. The loss is made good by the controlling authority, the (STIF), which since 2005 has been under the control of the ("Île-de-France Regional Council") and composed of local representatives. It defines the general conditions of operation and the duration and frequency of services. Losses are made good by an annual block grant to regional transport operators funded by the ("Transport payment"), a tax raised on companies with more than nine employees. Public bodies also contribute.Projects
Given the interest in the technical solution provided by the funicular for public passenger transport over relatively short and extremely steep routes, studies have called for the RATP to build similar systems, notably at Issy-les-MoulineauxIssy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
, in the renovation project of the Fort d'Issy quarter, and to link the Meudon-sur-Seine station on Paris Tramway Line 2
Paris Tramway Line 2
Tramway line T2 is a tramway in France. It connects Porte de Versailles, Paris, with La Défense, just outside the limit of Paris...
with the Gare de Bellevue
Gare de Bellevue
The Gare de Bellevue is a railway station in the French commune of Meudon in the Île-de-France administrative region. It is situated on the Paris–Brest railway...
, which would recreate the old Bellevue funicular
Bellevue funicular
The Bellevue funicular , in Meudon, Hauts-de-Seine department, was from 1893 to 1934 a funicular running from the Bellevue-Funiculaire station on the Coteaux line , to the Gare de Bellevue, on the Paris–Brest railway line....
at Meudon
Meudon
Meudon is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris.-Geography:...
, demolished in 1934.
Popular culture
The funicular is an essential element in Paris life, and thus appears in many films and television series having Montmartre as a theme. One of the most famous is (1990), starring Thierry LhermitteThierry Lhermitte
Thierry Lhermitte is a French actor, known for his comedic roles. He was one of the founders of the comedy troupe Le Splendid in the 1970s, along with, among others, his high-school friends Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot, and Michel Blanc...
and Philippe Noiret
Philippe Noiret
Philippe Noiret was a French film actor.-Biography:Noiret's father was in the clothes trade. Philippe was an indifferent scholar and attended several prestigious Paris schools, including the Lycée Janson de Sailly. He failed several times to pass his baccalauréat exams, so he decided to study...
, and it also appears in (1997), (2006) and Louise (take 2)
Louise (Take 2)
Louise is a 1998 French drama film directed by Siegfried. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Élodie Bouchez - Louise* Roschdy Zem - Rémi* Gérald Thomassin - Yaya* Antoine du Merle - Gaby...
(1998).
In the first pilot episode of the police series , a chase takes place on the Rue Foyatier
Rue Foyatier
The Rue Foyatier is a street on the Montmartre , in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Opened in 1867, it was given its current name in 1875, after the sculptor Denis Foyatier . It is one of the most famous streets in Paris, because it consists essentially of flights of stairs giving access to the...
steps alongside the funicular; the character played by Jean-Pierre Castaldi
Jean-Pierre Castaldi
Jean-Pierre Castaldi is a French actor. He is the father of French TV presenter Benjamin Castaldi.- Selected filmography :-References:...
runs up it to catch the crooks. Similarly in the film (2009), Michel Fernandez (Thierry Frémont
Thierry Frémont
Thierry Frémont is a French actor. He has appeared in over 65 films and television shows since 1984. He starred in the 1991 film Fortune Express, which was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
) flees by the stairs, chased by Nora Chahyd (Rachida Brakni
Rachida Brakni
Rachida Brakni is a French actress of Algerian origin. She is married to the football hero turned film actor Eric Cantona, whom she met on the filmset of Outremangeur in 2002....
) who takes the funicular.
Jean-Pierre Melville opened his film (1956) with a tracking shot
Tracking shot
In motion picture terminology, a tracking shot is a segment in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly, a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails while the picture is being taken...
around the Montmartre quarter where the film is set, and voiceover then says "" ("It is at one and the same time heaven ... and ... hell").
The funicular figures in an eponymous work by Jean Marchand
Jean Marchand (painter)
Jean Hippolyte Marchand was a French cubist painter, printmaker and illustrator with an association with figures of the Bloomsbury Group....
(1883–1940), on view at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris is the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art dedicated to the arts of the 20th/21st centuries. It is located at 11 Avenue du Président Wilson in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.-Description:...
. It appears in literature in a short story by Boileau-Narcejac
Boileau-Narcejac
Boileau-Narcejac is the nom de plume under which French crime fiction writers Pierre Boileau and Pierre Ayraud, aka Thomas Narcejac collaborated...
titled ("The enigma of the funicular"), published in 1971 in the review , and also in the works of Jacques Charpentreau who, in a poem entitled , compares the cabins to two contradictory brothers: ("When one flies into the air, the other falls to the ground/ And la, la la").
It appears in the video game Midnight Club 2 (2003).
In October 2006, at the request of the website for its "" ("concerts to download"), the singer Cali
Cali (singer)
Cali is a French singer-songwriter.- Biography :Cali was born 28 June 1968 in Vernet-les-Bains near Perpignan, to an Italian father and Catalan mother. A fan of English rock and French chanson during his youth, Cali was also a keen rugby player. He played for his region and Perpignan...
made an appearance in one of the funicular's cabins surrounded by passengers, singing her song ("The end of the world in ten minutes") from the album as it ascended.
The funicular appears, next to the Sacré-Cœur, in many miniature park
Miniature park
A miniature park is an open space that displays miniature buildings and models, and is usually open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village, or it can contain a number of different sets of models...
s, such as France Miniature
France Miniature
France Miniature is a miniature park tourist attraction in Élancourt, France featuring scale models of major French landmarks and monuments in an outdoor park.-Description:...
at Élancourt
Élancourt
Élancourt is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris 30.6 km from the center, in the "new town" of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.-Transport:...
(where it was added twice) and Mini-Europe
Mini-Europe
-See also:* Madurodam — Model village in Netherlands containing miniature famous Dutch landmarks* Catalunya en Miniatura — miniature park located 17 km away from Barcelona, with an exhibition area of 35.000 m2 including all major buildings of Catalonia and of Antoni Gaudí* Bekonscot...
at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
See also
- FunicularFunicularA 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...
- Inclined railway
- List of Paris metro stations
- MontmartreMontmartreMontmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
- RATP
Sources
("Heritage of the RATP")|publisher=Flohic|year=1996|series= ("Heritage of economic institutions")|place=Charenton-le-Pont|isbn=978-2842340070|language=French|ref=}} ("French funiculars and rack railways")|publisher=La Vie du RailLa Vie du Rail
La Vie du Rail is a French publishing group headquartered in Auray, which specialises in magazines and books about rail transport, and transport more generally. The editor-in-chief is Vincent Lalu....
|place=Paris|year=1992|isbn=978-2902808427|language=French|ref=harv}} ("Paris tramways")|year=1992|asin=B00175PCGO|edition=3rd|ref=harv}}
External links
- Virtual tour in 360 degrees Use the mouse to turn around.