Ascensor Concepción, Funicular in Valparaíso, Chile

The Ascensor Concepción is a funicular railway in Valparaíso, Chile, whose lower station sits at the southern end of Pasaje Elías, a narrow alley facing the Reloj Turri on Prat Street, and whose upper station faces the Paseo Gervasoni on Cerro Concepción. Its rails rest on the hillside at a 46-degree incline, covering a total length of 69 m (226 ft) and climbing to 47 m (154 ft) above sea level. Two metal cars, each carrying 7 passengers, move in opposite directions.

The Compañía de Ascensores Mecánicos de Valparaíso was formed in 1882 to build a funicular for residents of Cerro Concepción, and it opened on 1 December 1883. Its two wooden cars ran on a water-counterweight system fed by a steam boiler; later the drive was converted to electricity and the cars replaced with metal ones. The state bought it from private owners in 2012, and restoration by the Ministerio de Obras Públicas ran from 5 December 2016 to 3 April 2019.

The lower station opens onto Pasaje Elías, a narrow gap between buildings facing the Reloj Turri on Prat Street, while the upper station faces the Paseo Gervasoni on Cerro Concepción. The funicular was declared a Historic Monument on 1 September 1998, and in 2012 the government of Sebastián Piñera bought it from private owners to hand it to the municipality on loan.

The ride takes just a few minutes and carries small groups in simple metal cars. Access from the lower station is straightforward, though the surrounding streets and stairs in the historic quarter can be quite steep.

The Ascensor Concepción is the second-oldest funicular in Ibero-America and the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2012 the government of Sebastián Piñera bought it from private owners along with nine other funiculars and handed them to the municipality of Valparaíso under a commodate; restoration by the Ministerio de Obras Públicas ran from 5 December 2016 to 3 April 2019.