funicular railway

noun

1. a short, very steep railway having two parallel sets of tracks, upon each of which runs a car or train raised or lowered by means of a cable that simultaneously lowers or raises the other car or train in such a way that the two are approximately counterbalanced.

Word History and Origins

Origin of funicular railway¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

In November 2000, a cable car on a funicular railway caught fire in a mountain tunnel in Kaprun, Austria, killing 155 people.

From Seattle Times

The project, next to the historic Angels Flight funicular railway, is in De León’s district, and it may not receive the go-ahead from City Hall without his support.

From Los Angeles Times

Two cars operate on the funicular railway, each with a capacity of 40 passengers.

From BBC

The park - home to a zoo, several hiking trails and a funicular railway - launched anti-litter campaigns last year urging drink vendors to switch from plastic to glass cups, and started classifying garbage into separate bins.

From Reuters

A family in the U.K. has one of the country’s smallest funicular railways – a type of cable railway system on an incline – at their home.

From Fox News