As part of the previously announced reconstruction project of Budapest’s Citadella on Gellért Hill, the government is backing the construction of the Gellért Hill funicular. The main goal of the transportation system is to replace tourist buses, ensuring an environmentally friendly and unhindered mode of transportation.
According to a decree issued on Friday, the government supports the plan for the Gellért Hill funicular.
The project would be implemented as part of the comprehensive renewal and development of the Gellért Hill City Park, which includes creating a park in the place of a WWII bunker and a museum commemorating “Hungarian fights for freedom.” The government decided to ensure HUF 1.5 bn for the total preparatory work.
In a Facebook post, Dávid Vitézy wrote about the importance of the Gellért Hill funicular. The leader of the Budapest Development Center (BFK)- the company partly responsible for the project- names several reasons why the cable-car system would be an ideal solution.
A Gellért-hegyre érkező turistaforgalom jelenleg szinte kizárólag buszokkal zajlik, naponta akár 200 busz is megfordult…
Geplaatst door Vitézy Dávid op Zaterdag 11 juli 2020
Currently, tourists visit Gellért Hill almost exclusively by bus, with up to 200 buses daily during tourist season, Vitézy notes. This creates a heavy burden for the traffic on the streets leading to the Citadel, causing constant noise and air pollution. Visiting Gellért Hill is difficult not only for tourists but also for Budapest residents looking for a public park and a view of the city, he emphasizes.
Using the cable-cars, tourist buses could disappear from the vicinity of the Citadel, while visitors would be able to reach the Citadel and the Liberty statue, as well as the planned Museum of Hungarian Freedom Fighters, from Tabán in just 2-3 minutes, Vitézy outlines.
World Heritage Site Buda Castle Hill Funicular Built 150 Years Ago
Although the idea of a funicular on Gellért Hill dates back as far as the 19th century, the actual plans were only born much later, in 2018. According to this concept, the two endpoints of the single track would be Citadel Promenade and Hegyalja Road. Part of the lane would run underground. The cars are planned to accommodate 40 people, with a travel time of 72 seconds.
Featured photo by Zoltán Balogh/MTI