Corcovado Rack Railway
The Corcovado Train (Portuguese: Trem do Corcovado) is a rack railway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from Cosme Velho to the summit of the Corcovado Mountain at an altitude of 710 m (2,329 ft). The summit is known for its statue of Christ the Redeemer and its views over the city and beaches of Rio.
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| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Rack railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Operating | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | Cosme Velho 22.9408°S 43.1985°W Corcovado 22.9517°S 43.2112°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 4 active 1 closed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 10 July 1884 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner |
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| Operator(s) | Esfeco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 3.8 km (2.36 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimum radius | 100 m (330 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | Two three-phase 800 V AC 60 Hz overhead wires | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 25 km/h (16 mph) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest elevation | 670 m (2,198 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rack system | Riggenbach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The line is 3.8 km (2.4 mi) long. It is a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge rack railway using the Riggenbach rack system. The line was opened by Emperor Dom Pedro II on 9 October 1884. Initially steam hauled, the line was the first railway to be electrified in Brazil in 1910, and was re-equipped in 1980 with trains built by SLM of Winterthur in Switzerland. It is one of the few remaining railways using three-phase electric power with two overhead wires, at 800 V 60 Hz.
The trains and other equipment were replaced in 2019 by Swiss Stadler Rail. The new vehicles are capable of reaching a maximum speed of 25 kilometers per hour, compared to the previous maximum of 15 km/h, allowing the ascent to be made in approx 15 minutes. During the descent, energy is recovered by regenerative braking, which leads to a saving of 75% of the overall power consumption.[1]
There are four trains, each of two cars. Three of them are used simultaneously. 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. The line operates from 08:30 to 18:30 (8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.).
The line has been ridden by many famous people, including Pope Pius XII, Pope John Paul II, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Albert Einstein and Diana, Princess of Wales.
References
- Article "Rio de Janeiro: City of contrasts, quality metro" by C. J. Wansbeck, in Tramways & Urban Transit magazine, March 2005, published by the Light Rail Transit Association.
- Web page http://www.pell.portland.or.us/~efbrazil/efcorc.html and descendants, retrieved 2 March 2005, 2100 GMT.
- Web page https://web.archive.org/web/20061008210035/http://www.corcovado.com.br/principal.asp?lingua=English%27%27 and descendants, retrieved 2 March 2005, 2100 GMT.
External links