Tünel
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The Tünel is a historic, underground, rubber-tyred funicular line in Istanbul, Turkey. It has two stations, connecting Karaköy and Beyoğlu. The tunnel runs uphill from near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the Bosphorus and is about 573 metres long. Inaugurated on 17 January, 1875, the Tünel is the second-oldest fully underground urban railway in the world, after the London Underground (1863) and oldest in continental Europe, pre-dating the Budapest Metro by 21 years.
Karaköy station of the Tünel
Built between 1912–1914, the Metrohan Building (Beyoğlu station) is the northern terminus of the Tünel. It is located at Tünel Square, near the southern end of Istiklal Avenue.
Demolition of the old Tünel Building in Karaköy (southern terminus of the Tünel, near Bankalar Caddesi), c. 1968, before it was replaced by the current Karaköy station building.
The nostalgic tram that operates between Tünel Square (seen in this image, with the Metrohan Building in the background) and Taksim Square at the northern end of Istiklal Avenue.
Funicular
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A funicular is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages permanently attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track. The result of such a configuration is that the two carriages move synchronously: as one ascends, the other descends at an equal speed. This feature distinguishes funiculars from inclined elevators, which have a single car that is hauled uphill.
Funicular in Baku, Azerbaijan
Bottom towrope
Funicular drive train
Petřín funicular wheelset with Abt rack and pinion brake