| Corcovado Rack Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 AStadler train, photographed in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Operating | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Rio de Janeiro,Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 4 active 1 closed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Rack railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Esfeco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 10 July 1884; 141 years ago (1884-07-10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 3.8 km (2.36 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rack system | Riggenbach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimum radius | 100 m (330 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | Two three-phase 900 V AC 60 Hz overhead wires | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 25 km/h (16 mph) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest elevation | 670 m (2,198 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum incline | 300‰ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheCorcovado Rack Railway (Portuguese:Trem do Corcovado) is amountainrack railway inRio de Janeiro,Brazil, fromCosme Velho to the summit ofCorcovado at an elevation of 710 m (2,329 ft). The summit is famous for its giant statue ofChrist the Redeemer and for its views over the city and beaches.
The railway was opened byEmperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil on 9 October 1884. Initially hauled bysteam locomotives, the line was electrified in 1910, a first in Brazil. It was re-equipped in 1980[1] with trains built bySwiss Locomotive and Machine Works (SLM) ofWinterthur,Switzerland, and these were in turn replaced in 2019[2] by vehicles from SLM's successor companyStadler Rail.
The line has been ridden by many famous people, includingPope Pius XII,Pope John Paul II,Alberto Santos-Dumont,Albert Einstein andDiana, Princess of Wales.[3]
The line is 3.824 km (2.376 mi)[2] long and has four stations total. The termini are the historic base station inCosme Velho and the summit ofCorcovado.
The railway was built usingmetre gauge and theRiggenbach rack system, and has a maximum incline of 30%.[4] It is one of the few remaining railways usingthree-phase electric power with twooverhead wires, at 900 V 60 Hz.
Passengers ride in custom-builtelectric multiple units (EMU) made byStadler.[4] The vehicles, introduced in 2019, are capable of reaching a maximum speed of 25 km/h (16 mph), compared to the previous maximum of 15 km/h (9 mph), allowing the ascent to be made in about 15 minutes. During the descent, energy is recovered byregenerative braking, which leads to a saving of 75% of the overall power consumption.[5]
There are three trains,[2] each made of two cars.[4] The trip takes approximately 20 minutes and departs every 20 minutes, giving a capacity of 540 passengers per hour. Due to this limited capacity the wait at the entry station can be several hours. As of March 2021[update], the line operates from 08:00 to 19:00 (8 am to 7 pm).[6]).
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