Cable car (railway)

A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are propelled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required. Cable cars are sometimes confused with funiculars, where the cars are permanently attached to the cable.

Cities previously operating cable cars

Australia

• Melbourne (1885–1940, the Melbourne cable tramway system)
• Sydney (1886–1905)

France

• Paris

New Zealand

• Dunedin (1881–1957, the Dunedin cable tramway system)
• Wellington (1902–1979)

Portugal

• Lisbon

United Kingdom

• Birmingham
• Douglas (on the Isle of Man) (1896–1929)
• Edinburgh (1899–1923))
• Glasgow (1896–1935)
• Liverpool (trial in 1883)
• London (1884–1909, Connecting Archway with Highgate; this was the first cable car in regular operation in Europe)
• Matlock (1893–1927)

United States

• Baltimore, Maryland
• Binghamton, New York (trial in 1885)
• Brooklyn, New York
• Butte, Montana (1889–1897)
• Chicago, Illinois (1882–1906, the Chicago City Railway)
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Denver, Colorado
• Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Hoboken, New Jersey (1886–1892)
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Los Angeles, California (1885–1902, the Second Street Cable Railway and others)
• New York, New York
• Newark, New Jersey (1888–1889)
• Oakland, California (1886–1899)
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Portland, Oregon (1890–1904)
• Providence, Rhode Island
• Seattle, Washington
• St Louis, Missouri
• St Paul, Minnesota
• San Diego, California (1890–1892)
• Seattle, Washington (1888–1940)
• Sioux City, Iowa
• Spokane, Washington
• Tacoma, Washington (1891–1938)
• Washington, D.C. (see Washington streetcars)