“The ‘Blue’ Carriages Have Become Hostages to Government Indifference”
The funicular is a type of urban transport that features the shortest route in Kyiv, connecting Podil with the central part of the city—Mykhailivska Square. Currently, this mode of transport faces two significant issues: its operation is halted during air alerts, of which there have been nearly 1400 in the capital since the onset of the war, totaling over 1500 hours, and during power outages.
Is there a way to manage all these “sudden occurrences”? This was explored by Kashtan NEWS.
5 A Bit of History
The term “funicular” has French origins and means—rope, cable. Thus, a funicular is a rail transport vehicle with a cable traction system for transporting people or goods along steep routes. Funiculars typically feature relatively short tracks—just a few hundred meters long—with a very steep incline, averaging 35°.
The Kyiv funicular began operations in 1905. It became the second in Ukraine, following the one in Odesa, which was put into service three years earlier.
6 Among the various types of funiculars, the one in Kyiv employs the most common design with two carriages connected by a cable that is looped over a motor located at the upper station of the route. The carriages of the Kyiv funicular are individually designed for each track, taking into account its features and incline angle.
The capital's funicular can accommodate nearly 70 passengers on a route that spans 222 meters. The upper station is situated 76 meters above the lower one.
Interestingly, until the 1930s, the funicular was part of Kyiv's tram network. As such, it even had its own route number, designated as 9, and was called “Mykhailivskyi Electric Cable Car.” This connected the tram routes of Podil and the Upper City.
7 Notably, during World War II, the Kyiv funicular continued to operate.
8 In 1984, the funicular underwent a complete renovation, resulting in the construction of new vestibules adorned with stained glass by Ukrainian artists.
9 Today, this mode of public passenger transport is considered an architectural landmark. Furthermore, according to experts, the funicular is one of the safest forms of transport in Kyiv, as in over 100 years of operation, there has been only one accident, which fortunately did not result in any injuries.
The Kyiv funicular can also be regarded as one of the most romantic modes of transport in the Ukrainian capital. Just the picturesque views visible from the carriage windows during the ride are worth it!
Hostage to Indifference
Unlike trolleybuses and trams, which are classified as critical infrastructure and receive power from separate backup networks during outages, the “blue carriages” traversing the steep slopes of Kyiv do not enjoy such privileges.
“The funicular is indeed currently a hostage to two problems,” comments transport expert and co-founder of the NGO “Passengers of Kyiv,” Oleksandr Hrechko.
0 At the same time, Hrechko points out that energy providers have not developed and communicated the schedules for power outages and restorations by accident. This could allow for timely notifications to passengers about the funicular’s service interruptions.
“In contrast, ‘Kyivpastrans’ does not pay attention to such basic matters and does not make an effort to inform passengers about the funicular's operation. By the way, there is no information in the ‘Funicular’ section on the ‘Kyivpastrans’ website,” noted the interlocutor.
Stuck Between “Worlds”
According to Hrechko, such irresponsible behavior from the relevant transport authority could someday play a dangerous trick: the funicular might shut down, leaving the carriages stranded between stations.
“This would create additional problems for passengers and staff, especially in winter. And if there are people with children or individuals with disabilities in the carriages…” warns the expert.
How to Solve the Problem
According to official data, the Kyiv funicular transports up to 2.8 million passengers annually. A relevant program for improving its operations has been developed for 2024-2025. This document outlines plans to spend nearly 36 million hryvnias on the development of the funicular and the restoration of its station facilities. It is expected that the funicular will acquire more modern features and become more inclusive. There are also plans to replace the carriages. However, the project for the funicular's renovation is awaiting approval from the European Investment Bank.
The program does not mention backup power supply for the funicular. However, there is certainly a way out of the situation.
1 As Oleksandr Hrechko explained, the issue of switching the funicular to backup power supply has already been raised.
“It’s not all quick and easy to connect—energy providers are working to restart the power supply in the near future,” the analyst shared.
Moreover, the metro is located nearby.
“There are nuances; work needs to be done. But it’s currently hard to see significant initiative from ‘Kyivpastrans.’ Perhaps this explains why this problem has not budged for over a year, especially when considering the downtime due to stops during air alerts,” emphasized Oleksandr Hrechko.
Yevhen DEM’YANOV