Ascensor da Bica e meio urbano que o envolve, Lisbon

The Bica Funicular is the historic rail vehicle running through this steep street, linking Rua de São Paulo with the heights around Largo do Calhariz. Carris operates it, and the service has continued for almost 134 years. Its unusual movement comes from a cable joining two cars: as one climbs, the other descends and helps balance it.

Look at the track set into the roadway and the station entrance concealed within the façade on Rua de São Paulo; the building presents stone framing, wrought iron gates, an arched portico, tiled surfaces, and delicate iron balconies. Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard conceived the project, and the line opened on 28 June 1892 after beginning with steam power. It now climbs an 11.8% incline along a route described as 245 metres long.

The cars themselves contain three level compartments, with wooden seats arranged across the carriage. Their history includes a dramatic interruption: during electrification, one car ran out of control into the São Paulo station, destroying it and leaving the line closed until new cars brought its return in 1927. That combination of everyday transport, engineering, and a street-level setting is what makes this narrow climb so memorable.