Central Funicular
| Central Funicular | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Funicular |
| Status | in use |
| Locale | Naples, Italy |
| Stations | 4 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1928 |
| Operator(s) |
|
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1.234 km (0.767 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,200 mm (3 ft 11 1⁄4 in) |
The Central Funicular (Italian: Funicolare Centrale), is a funicular railway line that forms part of the public transport system for the city of Naples, Italy. Opened in 1928, the Central Funicular of Naples is one of the most used funicular railways in the world, and carries over 10 million passengers per year.
Central Funicular connects four stations: Piazza Fuga, Petraio-Via Palizzi, Corso Vittorio Emanuele (Napoli), and Augusteo at Piazzetta Duca d'Aosta. At Piazza Fuga, the Central Funicular station is adjacent to Piazza Vanvitelli, where there is a connection to both Vanvitelli station, on Line 1 of the Naples Metro, and to the Chiaia Funicular.
In the first two decades of the 20th century, a dramatic increase in the number of people travelling downhill from Piazza Vanvitelli to Central Naples led to a need to provide a public transport option for the steep decline. A route between via Toledo and Piazza Fuga (adjacent to Piazza Vanvitelli) was settled on, with intermediate stops at Corso Vittorio Emanuele (near Cariati) and Petraio. Due to the difficult nature of the steep slope, it was decided early on that a funicular line would provide the best option for the route.
The route the line would follow was surveyed and constructed by a company known as SAFUCE, the electronic and mechanical aspects were completed by the company Ceretti & Tanfani, and the cars by O.F.M. An innovative traction facility was installed utilising twin Ward Leonard groups with dynamic repulsion batteries, and the cars driven by 300 hp (220 kW) Marelli engines. The entire system was connected to a buffer battery, ensuring continuous service for over an hour if the power failed, allowing all cars to descend prior to cut off of power supply.
Construction took just over two years, and the Central Funicular was opened to much fanfare on 28 October 1928. The line proved immediately popular, providing great relief from the gruelling climb up the steep slope. The line operated continuously (including during World War II) until 1976, when control was transferred from SAFUCE to ATAN. ATAN decided that the line desperately required modernisation work, which finally began in 1989.
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