Funicular Taksim-Kabataş

The F1 line of the Istanbul Metro has only two stations and connects the Kabataş Ferry Terminal with Taksim Square (F1 Taksim – Kabataş). The entrance to Kabataşh station is located next to the tram stop.

In fact, this is not even a subway in the usual sense of the word, but a funicular hidden in an underground tunnel. The length of the line is 594 meters, and the height difference between the stations is 74 meters. The line was opened in 2006 and does not have a rich history, such as Tunnel, so everything here is made in a modern spirit.

The branch line is open from 6: 30 to midnight, and you can pay for travel using either a token or an IstanbulKart transport card. I didn't see the schedule, so I had to wait a while for the train to leave. Although it was about 17 o'clock, rush hour, but there were not many passengers.

Externally, the cars are similar to a regular tram or metro and move along the line with a slope from 5 to 22%, but the floor of the car does not have a noticeable slope, since it is divided into several levels.

Just three minutes after departure, we were at Taksim station.

Here you can see the construction of the lifting mechanism, built by the Austrian-Swiss company Doppelmayr Garaventa. Huge wheels enable the movement of two two-car trains with a maximum weight of 150 tons, moving up to 7,500 passengers per hour.

As on all funiculars, the trains are connected by a single cable, from which they received their name from the Greek word Funicula-rope. Trains move towards each other on a single-track linney, meeting at the siding in the middle of the way.