Funiculars of Lyon

A funicular of Lyon entering Saint Jean station.

No fewer than five funicular lines, nicknamed ficelles ("threads") were built.

• The first line opened in 1862 and linked Rue Terme and Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse. The funicular was closed and converted to a road tunnel in 1968.
• The second line opened in 1891 and served the Butte de la Croix Rousse. The line was converted into a rack railway in 1972 and rebuilt and extended at both ends to become Line C of the Lyon Metro in 1978.
• The third line opened in 1878 linking Saint-Jean to Saint-Just with an intermediate station at Minimes, climbing the Fourvière hill. The line was converted to a rack railway in 1901 and back to a funicular in 1958.
• The fourth and fifth lines were opened in 1900, linking the Tour Metallique on Fourvière hill to Saint-Paul and the Basilica on Fourvière with Saint-Jean. The first was closed in 1937 and the second was modernised in 1970 with a change of gauge from 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) to 1,300 mm (4 ft 3+3⁄16 in). The Fourvière - Saint-Jean line is 431 metres (1,414 ft) long with a 30% incline.

Both lines still in service were modernised again in 1986 and 1987. The Fourvière funicular was refurbished at the start of 2018, and the St Just funicular at the start of 2019. A new station at Saint-Jean was built in 1991 to serve the new line of the Metro and both funicular lines, and the whole complex named Vieux-Lyon.

According to the definition of a rapid transit system given by French dictionaries – "electric traction railway, partially or totally underground, serving a large urban area" – Lyon can claim to have one of the world's first rapid transit lines, as the Terme funicular, which meets these characteristics, was opened in 1862, six months before the first section of the Metropolitan Railway in London.

From January to June 2018, the Fourvière funicular was refurbished. This refurbishment included a revised livery, brighter and more open carriages, the carriages had a wheelchair space created, and new AC motors installed to replace the old DC motors.

From December 2018 to June 2019, St Just’s Funicular was closed for refurbishment. It received a new livery, similar to the livery on the upcoming MPL16s. It also received a new interior which is brighter and more spacious.

Funicular car n°1 is preserved at the AMTUIR (fr). It operated on the single track line from Saint-Jean to the Basilique de Fourvière. The line it served on was modernised in 1970 and equipped with new cars.

The car was given to the AMTUIR (Musée des Transports Urbains) by the Transports en Commun de la Région Lyonnaise (TCRL) on 27 May 1970.

• List of funicular railways

• Plan of Lyon metro and funiculars
• Picture library of transport in Lyon
• A pdf file about the Funicular Refurbishment (2018)