Opicina Tramway

Trieste–Opicina tramway

Opicina Tramway, on the cable-hauled section. The port of Trieste can be seen in the background.
Overview
Locale	Trieste, Italy
Transit type	Hybrid tram / funicular
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	13
Operation
Began operation	1902 (1902)
Operator(s)	Trieste Trasporti
Number of vehicles	8 tramcars + 2 cable tractors
Technical
System length	5.2 km (3.2 mi) (799 m or 2,621 ft cable section)
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
Electrification	550 V DC overhead line
System map

The Trieste–Opicina tramway (Italian: Tranvia Trieste-Opicina, Slovene: openski tramvaj, Triestine: Tram de Opcina) is an unusual hybrid tramway and funicular railway in the city of Trieste, Italy. It links Piazza Oberdan, on the northern edge of the city centre, with the village of Villa Opicina in the hills above. As of November 2016^[update], the tram is out of service, following an accident in August, with a replacement bus service operating. It is expected to reopen in early 2017.

For most of the journey, the line operates as a conventional, electrically powered tramway, with a mixture of street running and reserved track. On the steepest section of the line, between Piazza Scorcola and Vetta Scorcola, the trams are pushed uphill and braked downhill by a pair of cable tractors that operate on funicular principles.

The line forms part of the network of Trieste Trasporti, the public transport provider for Trieste, and is line 2 of that company's system. Services are operated every 20 minutes from early morning (07:00) to early evening (20:00).

Although the Austrian Southern Railway first arrived in Villa Opicina in 1857, its railway station was situated some distance from the village, and the local topography forced a circuitous 32 km (20 mi) railway route between Opicina and Trieste. As a result, various projects were promoted to link the two places more directly, resulting eventually in the construction of the Opicina Tramway by the Società Anonima delle Piccole Ferrovie di Trieste.