Ascensor San Agustín, Funicular railway in Cerro Cordillera, Valparaíso, Chile.
Ascensor San Agustín is a funicular railway in Cerro Cordillera, Valparaíso, running 51 metres along the hillside between its lower station on José Tomás Ramos Street and its upper station on Canal Street. Its rails are laid directly on the hill and pass among the neighbourhood's houses, climbing 35 metres at a gradient of 43.5 degrees.
Ascensor San Agustín opened on 8 January 1914 as a complement to the Cordillera funicular serving the densely populated Cerro Cordillera. Restoration works, first due in March 2012, were finished in September, and the lift was reopened on 23 September 2012 with President Sebastián Piñera present. It was declared a National Historic Monument by Decree No. 866 of 1 September 1998.
The funicular's name comes from the San Agustín hill and it runs through the houses of Cerro Cordillera, so residents see the car pass beside their homes. It complements the Cordillera funicular, and its 1998 designation as a National Historic Monument recognized its role in the hill's daily life.
The funicular is straightforward to use and requires no special knowledge; simply board and wait for the short ride up or down. Service runs throughout the day, making it easy to fit into your visit without long waits.
The San Agustín lift was reinaugurated on 23 September 2012 in a ceremony attended by Chile's president Sebastián Piñera, after restoration works slipped from March to September of that year. In January 2013 a sanitary problem kept it out of service for ten days, until the 28th.
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