- Initiated 1891 281 Batalha | - Completion 1893 Engineer Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard | |
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Address R. da Ribeira Negra 314, 4000-509 Porto, Portugal Similar Dom Luís I Bridge, Porto Cathedral, Church of São Francisco, Palácio da Bolsa, São Bento railway station | ||
Funicular dos guindais porto
The Guindais Funicular (Portuguese: Funicular dos Guindais) is a funicular railway in the civil parish of Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau e Vitória, Portuguese municipality of Porto.
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Funicular dos guindais hd porto
History
The original line was inaugurated on 3 June 1891. Almost 2 years later, on 5 June 1891, there was an accident caused by excess velocity, and the funicular car was decommissioned.
The former "House" of the funicular railway was by 1993 occupied by an atelier operated by sculptor Henrique Moreira. It was later remodelled to function as a meeting hall for local Jehovah's Witnesses.
As part of a larger initiative to improve the transport infrastructure of Porto, a new funicular and station was inaugurated on 19 February 2004, following the same line as before.
Architecture
The funicular is situated along the wall of Freiras, running down a steep cliff between the quay at Guindais and Rua da Batalha (terminating at building of the Civil Governor).
Owned and operated by the Porto Metro, the single-track funicular uses a central loop system that is 281 metres (922 ft) long, allowing it to descend 61 metres (200 ft), with the upper 90 metres (300 ft) situated within the passenger tunnel, with the markedly steep gradient in the section below the passing loop. Two vehicles run the course, with a capacity for 25 persons each, operating at a maximum speed of 5 metres per second (16 ft/s). Due to the difference in slope along the line, the cars have self-levelling platforms, allowing the car floor to maintain itself horizontal no matter the track incline. Although the journey is short (approximately 3 minutes) after emerging from the upper tunnel, passengers are able to view the landscape from the Dom Luís I Bridge, the river margins (including both quays along Ribeira and Cais de Gaia and the Port wine warehouses and traditional boast along the Douro River.
The service is commonly used by locals/commuters to access the river and metro services, including the metro at São Bento: the service runs from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, with extended hours to midnight on weekends and holidays.