As part of its new column, AZERTAC continues to feature interesting but little-known landmarks across various regions of Azerbaijan, as well as in Baku and its surroundings. This time, our journey takes us to one of the capital’s unique means of transportation — the Baku Funicular.

The Baku Funicular was commissioned on 5 May 1960. During the Soviet era, its carriages were specially manufactured in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), and its equipment produced in Kharkov before being delivered to Baku.

The railway line, designed for two carriages, stretches 455 meters. The carriages travel at a speed of 3 meters per second, reaching the other station in approximately three minutes.

Serving as an elevator between the Bahram Gur monument and the Alley of Martyrs, the funicular operates at 10-minute intervals.

Capable of serving around 300 passengers per hour, the funicular is now considered one of Baku’s most popular means of transport.

The Baku Funicular has undergone two major overhauls—in 2001 and 2007. Following President Ilham Aliyev’s directives, major reconstruction work was carried out on the Baku Funicular in 2012, with modern carriages purchased and the system reopened in May that year.