Funicular in Vladivostok

Funicular in Vladivostok is a form of public transportation that is located on the slope of the Orlinaya Sopka, and is the only funicular system in the Far East. Since 1962, blue and red cable-driven cars have been traveling on rails and linking two city streets.

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Video: Funicular in Vladivostok

Contents

Highlights

The upper station of the Vladivostok funicular is located next to a spacious circular square, which faces Sukhanov, Aksakovskaya, Nekrasovskaya, Ogarev and Vsevolod Sibirtsev streets. To the west of it there is a famous observation deck, from where you can see half of Vladivostok, Zolotoy Rog Bay and Russky Island. There is also a beautiful monument to Cyril and Methodius.

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The lower station is built between the picturesque buildings of Primorsky Pushkin Theater and St. Tatiana’s Chapel. About halfway down, the funicular line passes over Vsevolod Sibirtsev Street. Both stations are closed pavilions with stairs for passengers to walk to the cars. The middle of the rail route is equipped with a place where two cars separate.

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The length of the funicular service is short – only 183 meters, and the carriages travel this short route in a minute and a half. During the journey they overcome 70 meters, which corresponds to the height of a 20-storey building. For passenger comfort, the carriages are equipped with two rows of paired plastic seats and metal handrails. Up to 40 people can travel in them at a time.

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Despite the fact that the funicular in Vladivostok is very outdated, this mode of transportation is considered one of the popular tourist attractions of the seaside city. Travelers are attracted by the magnificent view of the Golden Horn Bay. From the windows of the carriages perfectly see the long Golden Bridge, port facilities, coastal neighborhoods and ships that run along the bay. The ride, though it doesn’t last long, leaves a very vivid impression.

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Friendly carriage drivers answer passengers’ questions, tell stories of the cable car’s construction and sometimes let tourists into the control booth. For groups of travelers of 10 or more, there are tours of the engine room, where you can see the entire control system of this mode of public transportation.

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History of Vladivostok funicular

Nikita Khrushchev came up with the initiative to build a funicular in Vladivostok. In 1959, he was returning through the Far Eastern city from a trip to the United States and, being impressed by what he saw, announced that a “Soviet San Francisco” would be built here. This was followed by the launch of the large-scale project “Greater Vladivostok”, which radically changed the city’s appearance.

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The funicular on the slope of a high seaside hill was built in 1962. The city authorities wanted to build another funicular and even purchased the necessary equipment, but these plans remained unrealized.

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Not long ago, the main passengers of the funicular in Vladivostok were students, who called it “funicular”. The fact is that the funicular connected the upper and lower buildings of the Polyten technical university. When transportation was closed for repairs, students had to go down and up the slope of the hill on a huge “health ladder”, which consists of 368 steps. Then the technical university became part of the Far Eastern Federal University and moved to Russky Island.

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Information for passengers

The fare on the funicular in Vladivostok is small and is 12 rubles. The funicular is open any day from 7.00 to 20.00. At the stations the cars stand from 3 to 5 minutes, and they run at an average interval of 7 minutes. Note that the funicular is closed annually for scheduled maintenance work, which usually lasts about a month.

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How to get there

The funicular in Vladivostok runs from Sukhanova Street to Pushkinskaya Street on the slope of Eagle hill, on the side of Zolotoy Rog Bay. The upper station can be reached by city buses № 15, 15k, 16ts, 29d, 68 and 79, as well as by minibuses № 22d, 38, 57, 63, 75, 85ts and 95 – to the Funicular stop. To the Lower station there are buses No. 13d, 17l, 23l, 24, 31, 39d, 49, 54, 54a, 55, 62 and 90, as well as shuttle bus No. 66 – to the stop “DVGTU”. From here, it is necessary to walk about 100 meters to the Lower Station.

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