Funival

The Funival to the summit of Belvedere
Simplified working of the Funival

Schematic of the Funival

Legend
0,000 La Daille(1 797 m)
Bridge (580 m)
0,580 Tunnel (1 720 m)
Passing loop
2,300 Bellevarde(2 705 m)

The Funival is a 1,200 mm (3 ft 11 14 in) gauge funicular railway in Val-d'Isère, France

The Funival starts above ground in La Daille and after a few hundred meters it enters a tunnel ending at the mountain station on top of the Belvarde.
The Funival uses two trains, connected by cables, on a single track. Half way a short section of dual track (passing loop) allows the trains to pass each other.

Description

A single track starts in La Daille from where the train runs up an elevated track for 580 m (1,903 ft). The remaining 1,720 m (5,643 ft). runs through a drilled tunnel. Halfway a section of double track allows the climbing train to pass the downward train. A cable runs from the front of the lower train, via a construction of electric powered pulleys in the mountain station to the back of the descending train. The mass of the descending train helps pull the climbing train and electric motors provide the power to overcome the weight difference between the climbing and descending trains plus any friction.

During most runs the climbing train will be far heavier than the descending train as the main function of the Funival is to take skiers to the top of the mountain. If the descending train is heavier than the climbing (when more passengers travel down than up) the electric motors can work as brakes. Each train is also provided with mechanical brakes to act as emergency brakes if the main cable should break. Although the Funival runs summer and winter it was primarily built to bring skiers to the top of the mountain.

Technical details

Funiculaire Funival[1][2]
name value
Altitude base station 1,797 m (5,896 ft)
Altitude mountain station 2,689 m (8,822 ft)
Climb 892 m (2,927 ft)
track length 2,300 m (7,546 ft).
length viaduct 580 m (1,903 ft)
length tunnel 1,720 m (5,643 ft)
Maximum gradient 53%
Location engines mountain station
capacity train 220 persons
capacity per hour 2425 persons/hour.
speed 12 metres per second (39.37 ft/s)
Inventor of FuniculairesDennis Creissels
Architect Marc Albert
Producer Montaval
Engineering BOTTO
Technical installationWaagner-Birò et Montaval
Total costs in 1987 60 Million French franc (≈9,13 million)
civil engineering 38 M FF (≈€ 5,79 million)
technical installation 22 M FF (≈€ 3,35 million)
Construction year 1987

See also

Source and links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Funival.
  1. Website Remontees Mecaniques on Funiculaire Funival, visited: 25 December, 2012
  2. Lift World database on the Funival (Val d'Isere), visited: 25 December, 2012

External photos

Photos of the Funival can be found on the general description-pages of the Funicular system and the track and cars (in French)

Coordinates: 45°27′33″N 6°57′51″E / 45.45917°N 6.96417°E / 45.45917; 6.96417

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