Kakolanmäki hill in Turku is a special place, visible from far and wide in the 2011 European Capital of Culture. Until a few years ago, prisoners were still housed in the prison here, which as constructed in 1853; the site is now being transformed into a new urban district.

In parallel with this development, the hill now also has a ttransport link to the surrounding area. Here, the city opted for a funicular from LEITNER ropeways, which allows free connection to Turku’s public transport network.

The facility was recently formally opened to the strains of popular Italian folk song “Funiculì, Funiculà!”

A distinctive urban planning accent is currently being created in Finland’s fifth largest and also oldest city: New housing, a hotel, restaurants and bars will emerge by 2020 with the current development of the famous Kakolanmäki. In the future, up to 2,500 people will live here.

The former prison hill will therefore become a new district in a very attractive setting. The transport connection from the site to the surrounding area therefore also needs to be appropriately attractive. The answer to this is the “Kakolan Funicolaari” from LEITNER ropeways, which proved to be the ideal solution for this site and emerged as the winner in the public tendering process.

At the opening of the railway, Leitner AG board member Martin Leitner was very pleased: “We are proud of this very important facility for Turku. The railway is a truly urban cable car and the perfect symbiosis between the latest technology and design.”

The facility is now 132 metres long and can transport 480 people per hour over an altitude difference of 30 metres. As funiculars use the basic technology of a vertical lift, short linear routes such as at the Kakolanmäki are the ideal application for them.

• Cable car system IE30 – funicular
• Inclined length 132 m
• Altitude difference 30 m
• Number of vehicles 1
• Vehicle capacity 30 p.
• Speed 2.5 m/s
• Transport capacity 480 p/h
• Journey time 1 min, 11 sec

In operation, the system is convincing  thanks to its integral automation, especially as it works with no operating personnel: Like a conventional lift, the
car can be called automatically by pressing a button. The funicular is owned by the city of Turku and operated by a Finnish lift manufacturer.

One major “side effect” of the opening of the “Kakolan Funicolaari” is the associated expansion of local public transport to this significant location. As such, the facility, which is free to use, has a direct connection with a bus stop at the bottom of the Kakolanmäki and it is in operation for around 21 hours every day.

The city of Turku also placed particular emphasis on the attractive design of the cable car. Owing to the clear visibility of the facility, the stations were designed by a Finnish architect, and sophisticated form in Italian design was also taken into account for the car.

The city has invested a total of five million euros in entire project. ts