The funicular in Tbilsi: on top of the world

High on the mountain ridge at the western side of Tbilisi is Mtatsminda Park on Mtatsminda Plateau. To reach it, a road meanders upwards. Or you can take the funicular.

The funicular has an interesting history. Belgian engineer, Alphons Robie, had the idea in 1896 to build a funicular. Tbilisi officials approved the design in July 1990, construction commenced in September 1903, completed at the end of 1904, and officially opened on March 27, 1905.

French engineer, A. Blansche, constructed the funicular (it means ‘rope-way’) in conjunction with Tbilisi architect – Polish-born Alexander Shimkevich (he designed the Rustaveli Theatre). The funicular was 501 metres and a gradient (incline or slope) of 28-33 degrees. The rope is actually a cable – with two counterbalanced cabins operated by a cable to transport passengers. At the time it was one of the steepest and longest ropeway railways in the world.

The blue funicular was electric powered. There were three stops – (1) the beginning at Chonkadze Street, (2) the middle at St. David’s Church (Mamadaviti) on the slope of Mount Mtatsminda, with the Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures nearby, and (3) the end at Mtatsminda Park with a rotunda, cafe, and restaurant. The restaurant had a third storey constructed in 1936-38 during renovations. In 1971 the lower station at Chonkadze Street was re-constructed by architects G. Batiashvili and T. Kutateladze.

The Tiflis Funiculaire was designed to hold 50 people and would travel the distance in six minutes. It was particularly popular from the 1930s when Mtatsminda Park – an amusement park – was constructed at the top of the mountain. The funicular ceased from June 2000 after a serious crash.

Idle and derelict for 12 years, it was restored and opened in October 2012. With the restoration came modern technology. Everything is new except the track and infrastructure. The track is still one track with a siding and three stops. The station building was refurbished in the fin-de-siecle architectural style. The two new cabins (still with drivers) are now red, fitted with 18 seats and provide room for 60 people. The cabins are still propelled by a haul rope.

Designed and constructed by Austrian company, Doppelmayr Garaventa Group – a ropeway manufacturer – with the cabins bought in Switzerland, auxiliary rails were laid in the large entrance hall. The cabins were then deposited in front of the building and pulled through the wide doors, using rope winches, to their ultimate destination on the track. Two paralled tracks are used for short distances, but the Tbilisi funicular has a single track with a siding where the two cabins stop and pass each other.

The vertical rise is 235 metres and the length of the track is 491 metres (losing a bit of track at the restored stations). The funicular travels at three metres per second (maximum speed is 14 metres per second).

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