{"id":42025,"date":"2017-08-21T06:51:48","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T06:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=42025"},"modified":"2017-08-21T06:51:48","modified_gmt":"2017-08-21T06:51:48","slug":"10-great-streetcars-trams-funiculars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/travel\/10-great-streetcars-trams-funiculars.html","title":{"rendered":"10 great streetcars, trams and funiculars"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 great streetcars, trams and funiculars<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Transit lines just don\u2019t just offer a way to get around a city. Some are tourist attractions themselves, says Sam Schwartz, a transportation consultant who runs GridlockSam.com. For example, he says it\u2019s hard not to be charmed by funiculars, hill-climbing railcars linked by cables, which first rose to prominence in the 19th century. He also has a weakness for trams and streetcars. \u201cThere\u2019s something romantic and historic about them.\u201d He shares some favorite routes and lines with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.<\/span><\/p>\n

Angels Flight<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nLos Angeles<\/span>
\nCar-loving L.A. has never given up on its funicular, which links downtown to the Bunker Hill area. The 116-year-old line closed for three years, but has been undergoing renovations and is scheduled to reopen in early September. Schwartz says he first learned about the line from a mystery novel, and knew he had to see it in person. \u201cYou don\u2019t expect to see that in Los Angeles.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nPittsburgh<\/span>
\nThis hilly city is a natural for funiculars and once was home to more than a dozen different lines. They were built during Pittsburgh’s booming early years to serve steel workers and other laborers \u2014 most were European immigrants and quite familiar with the technology. Today, the two remaining lines serve the Mount Washington neighborhood and offer sweeping views of the Pittsburgh skyline. The Monongahela Incline, considered the oldest continuously operating funicular in the country, began operating in 1870. The Duquesne opened seven years later on the site of a former coal hoist. \u201cIt fits its right in with the personality of the city,\u201d Schwartz says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lisbon<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Built on and around seven hills, this waterfront capital offers a range of surprising options for travelers, including the Santa Justa lift, an outdoor elevator linking two city districts that\u2019s part of the transit system. Perhaps the most famous line is Tram 28, a route crossing the city with historic wooden-seat streetcars. Schwartz particularly likes the Gloria funicular. \u201cIt opens up the whole city in front of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

F-Market & Wharves Line<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nSan Francisco<\/span>
\nYou can travel the world in San Francisco, getting a lift on historic streetcars that once ran in Europe, Asia and Australia, before they were relocated to California. \u201cIt\u2019s the most cosmopolitan streetcar line in the world,\u201d Schwartz says. \u201cOne minute you can be in Japan, and the next Melbourne, or Milan.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

34th Street-Hudson Yards Elevator<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nNew York<\/span>
\nWhen Manhattan opened a new subway stop on the 7 Line three years ago, it also added a funicular-style inclined elevator that carries passengers to the station\u2019s mezzanine level. \u201cYou\u2019re traveling both vertically and horizontally at the same time. People don\u2019t know it\u2019s there,\u201d Schwartz says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Aruba<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Caribbean islands are typically associated with cruise ships, not urban transit, which makes this line such a surprise. \u201cIt\u2019s a streetcar where you least expect it. The juxtaposition intrigues people,\u201d Schwartz says. It\u2019s also handy for visitors, connecting the port to the island\u2019s capital of Oranjestad. The free line includes a popular double-decker car.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

St. Charles Streetcar Line<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nNew Orleans<\/span>
\nThe Crescent City boasts what it calls the world\u2019s oldest continuously operating streetcar. Its old-fashioned cars still gleam with mahogany seats, brass fixtures and exposed ceiling lights. Tourists particularly love the St. Charles Line, which runs by the edge of the French Quarter and connects to the Garden District and Audubon Park. \u201cIt\u2019s not unusual to ride that streetcar and hear a band parading by,\u201d Schwartz says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jerusalem Light Rail<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nIsrael<\/span>
\nTraveling around the ancient city of Jerusalem got easier six years ago when the metropolitan area opened a long-awaited modern transit system. The project faced numerous delays due to archaeological discoveries during construction. Schwartz was impressed by the final product, which adds gleaming public transportation to \u201ca very holy city.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trambaix<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nBarcelona<\/span>
\nEurope has plenty of street car systems, but it was the tracks that made this line stand out to Schwartz. Some sections run across what appears to be a perfectly coiffed green lawn. \u201cThey maintain it like a baseball field. I love to look at it,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gurten Funicular<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nBern, Switzerland<\/span>
\nIn a country built in and around the Alps, it\u2019s not hard to find a funicular. But the one serving Gurten mountain, overlooking the country\u2019s capital city of Bern, stands out, Schwartz says. The bright red cars climb nearly 3,500 feet of track. \u201cIt looks like a roller coaster.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/travel\/destinations\/10greatplaces\/2017\/08\/18\/streetcars-trams-funiculars\/575713001\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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