Funiculaire de Bregille, Funicular railway in Besançon, France

The Funiculaire de Bregille is a single-track funicular railway in Besançon, climbing 73 metres over 423 metres at a maximum gradient of 22%. Its two cars, rebuilt in 1981 with wooden bodies on original chassis and copper-green roofs, each seat sixteen passengers. The lower station stands at Rue du Funiculaire and Rue des Fontenottes; the upper station at Chemin des Monts-de-Bregille.

Émile Picard proposed the funicular in 1899 to link Bregille with the thermal baths of Besançon-les-Bains, which stood in the Mouillère district below, not on the hilltop. Public service began only in 1912, after spa tourism had declined. The line closed in 1987 following a technical failure and was listed as a monument historique on 27 January 2011.

The name Bregille comes from the plateau the line served, a small village of about 300 inhabitants at the end of the 19th century. The funicular was conceived for the curistes of Besançon-les-Bains, who rode it to reach the woods and open spaces above the city; after the 1930s its passengers were mostly Bregille residents and Bisontins. The white sign with red letters reads "FUNICULAIRE de Beaugregard - Bregille".

The station sits in the rue du Funiculaire and can be found easily from the lower city, as it connects the neighborhoods vertically. Visitors should be prepared for steep pathways and stairs when exploring the surrounding area.

Midway along the line, just before the Abt passing loop, the cars crossed an ungated level crossing with a dead-end road serving a few houses, protected by flashing signals triggered by the passing cars; such a road crossing on a funicular is very unusual and certainly unique in France. Since closure the road has been barricaded and covered with asphalt.