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).

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Apes go to the movies - and remember the scenes

Apes remember major events in movies, even after a single viewing. That’s the findings of primate research in Japan (New Scientist, September 17, 2015). Researchers at the Kyoto University in Japan conducted experiments with two species of apes – chimpanzees and bonobo primates – to test their memory and recall. Instead of using food to test memory, they used films. The researchers made two short movies to show to the apes. Fumihiro Kano and his colleague, Satoshi Hirata, starred in the films with another person dressed as an ape. They wanted to have strong dramatic scenes to see if the apes remembered them. In the first 30-second movie the character ape bursts through a door on the right hand side (there is also a door on the left hand side) and attacks the two researchers (characters) 18 seconds after the start. After 24 seconds a human character choses one of two weapons next to each other and launched a revenge attack on the ape. In the second 30-second movie t...

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