San Marino Cablecar System
Funivia di San Marino
A cablecar overlooks Borgo Maggiore in May 2019.
Overview
StatusOperational
CharacterUrban
SystemTransport in San Marino
Location
CountryRepublic of San Marino
Coordinates43°56′25.41″N 12°26′43.54″E / 43.9403917°N 12.4454278°E / 43.9403917; 12.4454278
TerminiBorgo Maggiore
City of San Marino
No. of stations2
Open1 August 1959 (1959-08-01)
Websitewww.sanmarinosite.com
Operation
OwnerAzienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici
OperatorAzienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici
No. of carriers2
Carrier capacity50
Ridershipc. 500,000 passengers yearly
Operating times
  • 07:45–18:30 (November–February)
  • 07:45–19:00 (March, October)
  • 07:45–19:30 (April)
  • 07:45–20:00 (May–June, mid-September–October)
  • 07:45–01:00 (July–mid-September)
Trips daily88–138
Trip duration2 minutes
Fare€3.00 (one-way adult)
Technical features
Aerial lift typeAerial cablecar
Manufactured byDoppelmayr Italia
Line length
  • 338 metres (1,109 feet) (inclined length)
  • 294 metres (965 feet) (run length)
No. of cables2
Operating speed6 metres per second (13 miles per hour)

The San Marino cablecar system (Italian: Funivia di San Marino), also advertised as the San Marino Ropeway, is an aerial cablecar system in the Republic of San Marino. The line runs between a lower terminus of Borgo Maggiore to an upper terminus in the City of San Marino.[1]

Running every fifteen minutes, the two-minute ride is renowned for its paronamic views over San Marino, the Province of Rimini, and the Adriatic Sea.[1][2] The cablecar system is a major tourist attraction, and considered a defining symbol of San Marino.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

The cablecar system transports 500,000 passengers yearly across approximately 21,000 trips. It is managed and operated by the Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici, the Sammarinese state company for public transport.[7][8]

History

Rimini–San Marino railway

Between 1932 and 1944, Borgo Maggiore and the City of San Marino were connected by the Rimini–San Marino railway. Borgo Maggiore's railway station station was located on the present-day Via Ventotto Luglio, near Borgo Maggiore's elementary school and less than 100 metres (330 feet) downhill from the present-day Borgo Maggiore terminus.[9][10] San Marino's railway station, the line's terminus, was located on the present-day Piazzale della Stazione.[10]

During the Second World War, the line was bombed and closed.[11][12] After several years of negotiation between the Italian and Sammarinese governments, by 1958, it had been decided to replace the railway with the San Marino Highway.[13][14] Both railway stations were demolished and became car parks.[10][15][16]

The San Marino cablecar system effectively replaced the railway connection between Borgo Maggiore and the City of San Marino, particularly given that the San Marino Highway finishes in Borgo Maggiore.[14]

Construction and early years

Work on the cablecar system began in 1956,[17][18] with its construction contracted to Agudio, a Turinese company. The necessary safety tests were completed by technicians from the Italian Ministry of Transport.[18]

The cablecar system was inaugurated on 1 August 1959 with a maiden voyage on which a statue of Our Lady of Fátima travelled from Borgo Maggiore to the City of San Marino.[8][18][19][20] The original cablecar could accommodate fifteen people.[21] A single fare cost 50 lire, with a return costing 80.[8][18]

The line was popular among tourists and residents alike, with 230,000 trips in its first ten years of operation.[18] A new cablecar entered service in March 1967;[21] it was renovated in 2014, and installed in March 2015 on a roundabout along Strada Sottomontana, the road connecting Borgo Maggiore to the village of Murata.[3][21]

Interchange with the Borgo Maggiore heliport

The terminus at Borgo Maggiore was sited next to a heliport, which had inaugurated its first postal flights in September 1950. It was at this heliport that the statue of Our Lady of Fátima, the aerial cablecar's first passenger, had arrived by helicopter from Forlì on 24 July 1959.[20]

Between 1961 and 1969, Compagnia Italiana Elicotteri operated helicopter flights between Borgo Maggiore and Rimini's port; the service was extended to San Leo in 1964. The cablecar to the City of San Marino was included in flight tickets,[22][23] which would cost up to 12,500 lire.[22] After the service's closure in 1969, the heliport was replaced by a parking lot for the Funivia.[24][25]

The cablecars in June 2010, prior to the 2017 modernisation

Modernisations and recent history

From 5 March 1995,[18] the system was modernised with double load-bearing cables built by Doppelmayr Italia;[17] the electromechanical works were awarded to Holz, a company from Bolzano. The modernisation allowed fifty passengers per cablecar, and more than doubled the hourly capacity. The old stations were demolished, and new stations designed by architect Jacek Sokalski were built in their place.[18]

The new cablecar system was inaugurated on 25 May 1996.[17][18] Aboard the maiden journey were the Captains Regent, and a commemorative postage stamp was released to mark the occasion.[18]

In spring 2017, a second modernisation programme replaced the cablecars, ticket gates, trolleys, shock absorbers, and electrical and safety equipment.[2][6][17] After three months of work, the system reopened on 15 April 2017.[6][17]

The system was closed between February and June 2020, first for scheduled maintenance, and then as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened with reduced capacity, social distancing, and obligatory mask-wearing.[26]

Technical features

The line traverses an inclined length of 338 metres (1,109 feet) over a run of 294 metres (965 feet),[2][19] for a difference in elevation of 166 metres (545 feet).[2][17][19] It runs at 6 metres per second (13 miles per hour).[2][19]

The system uses double load-bearing cables using a traditional suspension mechanism.[7][17] Each cablecar is equipped with four hydraulic brakes in the event that the haul rope breaks.[7]

Services

The service runs every fifteen minutes from 7.45am.[1][17] As of December 2023, depending on the season, the last ride is between 6.30pm (November until March) and 1.00am (July and August).[17] Each car can accommodate fifty people, and the ride between termini takes two minutes.[1][27]

As of December 2023, a single adult ticket costs three euros and a return ticket costs five euros; there are reductions for the disabled, groups, multi-trip passes, and monthly student and adult passes. Children under 1.2 metres (3.9 feet) travel free. Dogs can travel if they are muzzled and leashed, and luggage can be carried aboard; extra tickets may be required for large dogs or bulky luggage.[1][17]

The system often closes for scheduled maintenance for a few weeks in late February and early March.[26][28][29][30] It is known to close by adverse weather conditions, such as strong winds and after snowfall that freezes the haul cable.[31][32]

Stations

The current stations were built as part of the 1995-96 modernisation programme, and were designed by architect Jacek Sokalski, who co-designed the Central Tower in Warsaw.[18] The stations were repainted in 2017.[2]

Borgo Maggiore Terminus

The base station in Borgo Maggiore is located on Piazzale Campo della Fiera.[27] The terminus is equipped with a large underground and ground-level car park.[17][27] At ground-level, the station includes two entrances, a ticket office, and an accessible bathroom. The cablecars depart from the first floor, where there is a passenger waiting room, as well as shops and a bar. The station is fully accessible with lifts connecting the underground, ground, and first floors.[27][33]

In March 2022, the Sammarinese government rejected plans for a multi-storey car park next to the terminus.[34]

The City of San Marino terminus, August 2017

City of San Marino Terminus

The City of San Marino terminus is located at the turn of Contrada Omagnano with Contrada del Pianello, at the historic city centre's northern end, next to the Tourism Secretariat and less than 200 metres (660 feet) from the Basilica of San Marino and the Piazza della Libertà.[35] The station is entirely at ground level and contains a waiting room.[27]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ropeway – San Marino Cable Car". San Marino Site. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Funivia di San Marino" [San Marino Cablecar System]. Doppelmayr Group (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 Pelliccioni, Silvia (30 March 2015). ""Simbolo della Repubblica": vecchia cabina funivia nella rotatoria della Sottomontana" ["Symbol of the Republic": Old cablecar in the Sottomontana roundabout]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "San Marino, esercitazione di recupero passeggeri dalla funivia" [San Marino: Passenger recovery exercise from the cablecar]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 24 June 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "Anche San Marino ha la sua versione del Monopoly" [Even San Marino has its version of Monopoly]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 9 August 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "San Marino. Inaugurata la funivia di Borgo Maggiore" [San Marino: the Borgo Maggiore cablecar system is inaugurated]. libertas.sm (in Italian). 15 April 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Fabbri, Monica (26 May 2021). ""La funivia sammarinese è sicura", garantisce AASS. Ecco le differenze con l'impianto di Mottarone" ["The San Marino cablecar is safe", guarantees AASS: here are the differences with the Mottarone plant]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Simoncini, Myriam (1 August 2009). "50 anni e non li dimostra" [50 years and it doesn't show it]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "...e corre, corre, corre la locomotiva" [...And the locomotive runs, runs, runs.]. San Marino Fixing (in Italian). 17 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 "Ferrovia Rimini-S. Marino (RSM)" [Rimini-San Marino (RSM) Railway]. Ferrovie abbandonate. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  11. ↑ Macina, Chiara (14 September 2015). "Il Trenino Biancazzurro: la breve vita e la fine" [The Blue and White Train: Its short life and end]. Zoomma (in Italian). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  12. ↑ Giardi, Davide (28 February 2013). "Breve storia della Ferrovia" [Brief history of the railway]. libertas (in Italian). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "12 giugno 1932 - Viene inaugurata la ferrovia Rimini - San Marino" [12 June 1932: The Rimini–San Marino railway was opened]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 12 June 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  14. 1 2 Giuliani-Balestrino, Maria Clotilde (2005). "La superstrada Rimini-San Marino" [The Rimini-San Marino railway] (PDF). Studi e Ricerche di Geografia (in Italian). 29 (1): 1–4.
  15. ↑ "C'era una volta la ferrovia Rimini-San Marino" [Once upon a time there was the Rimini-San Marino railway]. RiminiToday (in Italian). 12 February 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  16. ↑ Piccioni, Elisabetta (April 2011). "Il Viaggio Interrotto: La Ferrovia Elettrica Rimini–San Marino" [The Interrupted Journey: The Rimini–San Marino Electric Railway]. I Martedì (in Italian). Bologna: Centro San Domenico (292): 18–22.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Funivia di San Marino" [San Marino Cablecar System]. Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "La Funivia" [The Cablecar System]. Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Funivia di San Marino" [San Marino Cablecar System]. romagna.net (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  20. 1 2 "La storia del servizio elicottero a San Marino, legato alla crescita del turismo di massa" [The history of the helicopter service in San Marino, linked to the growth of mass tourism]. www.titanpostsm.com (in Italian). 5 April 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  21. 1 2 3 "San Marino. La vecchia cabina della funivia alla rotatoria della Sottomontana. Prossima inaugurazione" [San Marino. The old cablecar at the Sottomontana roundabout. Next inauguration.]. libertas.sm (in Italian). 27 March 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  22. 1 2 "30 giugno 1961 - Inaugurata la linea di elicotteri Rimini - San Marino - San Leo" [30 June 1961 – The Rimini – San Marino – San Leo helicopter line is inaugurated]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 29 June 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  23. ↑ Gambetti, Nicola (5 August 2023). "Rimini - San Marino - San Leo in elicottero" [Rimini – San Marino – San Leo by helicopter]. Rimini Sparita (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  24. ↑ "Borgo Maggiore: concerto della banda "Queen Victoria" per rinnovare il gemellaggio con Zurrieq" [Borgo Maggiore: Concert by the "Queen Victoria" band to renew the twinning with Zurrieq]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). 30 August 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  25. ↑ "Ordinanza n.189/2023" (PDF). State Secretariat for Internal Affairs. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  26. 1 2 "Riparte anche la funivia, mascherine obbligatorie e solamente venti persone per ogni viaggio" [The cablecar also restarts: Mandatory masks and only twenty people for each trip]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 2 June 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mappa di Distribuzione Funivia" [Distribution Map Cablecar System]. sanmarinopertutti.com (in Italian). 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  28. ↑ "Chiude per 20 giorni la funivia di Borgo Maggiore" [The cablecar system of Borgo Maggiore closes for 20 days]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). 19 February 2004. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  29. ↑ "San Marino, funivia chiusa fino al 15 marzo" [San Marino: Cablecar system closed until 15 March]. Il Resto del Carlino. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  30. ↑ "Dal 20 febbraio all'11 marzo chiusa la funivia Borgo Maggiore – San Marino" [The Borgo Maggiore–San Marino cablecar system is closed from 20 February to 11 March]. libertas.sm (in Italian). 18 March 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  31. ↑ Lattanzi, Andrea (6 January 2022). "La neve imbianca San Marino. Funivia bloccata dal ghiaccio per due ore" [The snow enwhitens San Marino: The cablecar system is blocked by ice for two hours]. libertas.sm (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  32. ↑ "San Marino. Servizio di funivia sospeso per il forte vento" [San Marino: Cablecar service suspended due to strong winds]. libertas (in Italian). 4 February 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  33. ↑ "Accessibilità Funivia" [Accessibility of the Cablecar System]. sanmarinopertutti.com (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  34. ↑ "San Marino. Il governo stoppa il nuovo parcheggio multipiano a Borgo Maggiore: "Troppi i 25 milioni necessari". Turisti dirottati alla Baldasserona" [San Marino. The government stops the new multi-storey car park in Borgo Maggiore: "The 25 million needed are too many". Tourists diverted to Baldasserona.]. libertas.sm (in Italian). 1 March 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  35. ↑ "Pianta della Città di San Marino" [Map of the City of San Marino] (PDF). San Marino Site (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
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