What is the steepest funicular railway?

The world's steepest funicular climbs 1,700 meters from the Schlattli base station in the canton Schwyz in Switzerland to the car-free ski resorts at the Stoos summit station.



The Stoosbahn in Switzerland, which opened in 2017, holds the world record for the steepest funicular railway, featuring a jaw-dropping maximum gradient of 110% (47.7°). This engineering marvel connects the valley floor near Schwyz to the mountain village of Stoos. To ensure passenger comfort at such extreme angles, the train utilizes unique barrel-shaped, cylindrical cabins that rotate hydraulically as the slope changes, keeping the floor level for passengers at all times. While the Katoomba Scenic Railway in Australia actually has a steeper slope (128% or 52°), it is technically classified as an inclined lift because it uses a winch system rather than being a traditional counterbalanced funicular. The Stoosbahn travels at 10 meters per second and covers a vertical ascent of 744 meters in just 4 minutes. In 2026, it remains a premier destination for "tech-tourism," allowing visitors to experience the thrill of a near-vertical climb while standing perfectly upright in a futuristic, rotating carriage.

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The technical marvel will delight guests of all ages: the Stoosbahn reaches a gradient of 110% (47 degrees). It is the steepest funicular railway in the world. What's really fascinating is that the spherical cabins adapt to the gradient perfectly. This enables passengers to stay upright at all times.

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The technical marvel will delight guests of all ages: the Stoosbahn reaches a gradient of 110% (47 degrees). It is the steepest funicular railway in the world.

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Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines—Pittsburgh, PA The supersteep, 635-foot Monongahela (Mon) Incline (1870) is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the U.S., and the 794-foot Duquesne Incline (1877) was rescued by preservation-minded local residents shortly after it was shuttered in the early 1960s.

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The Fisherman's Walk Cliff Lift in Bournemouth, UK, is only 39 m (127 ft 11 in) in length, making it the shortest funicular. Built in 1935 by Borough Engineer F P Dolamore, the system travels on a 1.77-m-gauge (5-ft 10-in) railway track with a 45-degree incline.

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Gelmerbahn, The Steepest Funicular In Europe | Two Small Potatoes.

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The cogwheel railway to Mount Pilatus in Switzerland boasts the title of the 'Steepest Cogwheel Railway in the World. ' The 30-minute journey begins in Alpnachstad and has an average gradient of 35%.

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Stoosbahn in Switzerland, with a maximum slope of 110% (47.7°), is the steepest funicular in the world. The Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, built in 1888, is the steepest and longest water-powered funicular in the world.

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The Monongahela Incline is a funicular located near the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by Prussian-born engineer John Endres in 1870, it is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States.

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Glacier Express Topping our list is none other than the Glacier Express, probably the most iconic and luxurious scenic Swiss rail journey.

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Glacier Express Topping our list is none other than the Glacier Express, probably the most iconic and luxurious scenic Swiss rail journey. Known as the 'slowest express train in the world', the entire journey will grant you with undisputed panoramic views of the country's most dramatic scenery, no matter the season.

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Since 1889 from Alpnach and up the Pilatus Commissioned in 1889, a gradient of up to 48 percent, about 30 minutes travel time: that is the steepest cogwheel railway in the world in figures. Meter by meter it scales the way from Alpnachstad to Pilatus Kulm, passing alpine meadows and striking rock formations.

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The Gelmer Funicular is a cable railway in the canton of Bern, Switzerland.

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The “Falls Incline Railway” originally known as the Horseshoe Falls Incline is a funicular railway situated directly across the Horseshoe Falls and about 1.5 km south of Clifton Hill.

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“Funitel” is a portmanteau of the French words “funiculaire” and “téléphérique”. A defining feature of a Funitel is that each cabin has two arms extending from its roof and these arms attach to two cables. A Gondola or Aerial Tram cabin only has one arm, attached to one cable.

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Tramways have two large passenger cabins that shuttle up and down on a fixed moving cable. When the cabin reaches the top, the cable direction is reversed for the descent. Funiculars use a fixed cable to pull a passenger railcar up and down a very steep hill, usually in an urban setting.

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