A
funicular , also known as an
inclined plane or
cliff railway, is a
cable railway in which a
cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep
slope, the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalancing each other. Funiculars of one sort or another have existed for hundreds of years and continue to be used for moving both passengers and goods. Its name derives from the
latin,
funiculus, diminutive of
funis, meaning "rope".