The YM Funicular Digest

Latest news, gossip, sightings, and commentary from the world of rapid funicular systems.

· "Start on the left bank of the Salzach River with a funicular ride from the Altstadt (old town) near St Peter's Cemetery or a 15-minute uphill walk through narrow, winding alleys to the Hohensalzburg Festung, central Europe's largest intact fortress, for an overview of the city." [The Courier-Mail]

· "The most commercial and crowded place in the Blue Mountains is Scenic World (www.scenicworld.com.au) where a funicular railway (the steepest in the world) took us down to the rain forest floor." [Vancouver Sun]

· "Pregnant guests who stay in the town's four-star Radisson SAS slip into their swimsuits and hop on to the hotel's funicular, which zips you up to the baths." [The Scotsman]

· "Funicular for Le Morne?" [Mauritius Times]

· "A total of RM42mil has been set aside for work to upgrade the Penang Hill funicular train system." [The Star (Malaysia)]

· "It was extremely fortunate that the fire was spotted very early by engineers working on the funicular railway. It really could have been a lot worse and I am enormously grateful to the fire brigade whose human approach was well appreciated." [North Devon Gazette]

· "For the end of his South African trip, Putin visited the Cape of Good Hope, where he rode the funicular railway to the top and had seafood at a local restaurant. The South African Agriculture Minster presented him with a crocodile-skin briefcase, proving that even at the end of the world no one is ever out of touch with the season's fashion trends." [Kommersant]

· "My favorite parking solution remains a funicular which would ferry people from the upper courthouse parking lot, down the hill to Main Street." [Ellicot City View]