Tram di Opicina

Trieste’s Opicina tramway combines ordinary street running with a cable-hauled funicular section on the steep route from the city toward the Carso plateau. The line opened on 9 September 1902 and climbs about 329 metres, with a maximum gradient of 26 per cent.

Why it matters

The tramway is a distinctive piece of Trieste’s transport history. Its steep section first used rack-and-pinion traction; in 1928 that system was replaced by the cable-hauled funicular arrangement. The line connects the urban streets with the plateau and has long served residents as well as visitors.

What to notice

On the incline, tractor cars push the tram uphill and restrain it on the descent. The climb ends at Vetta Scorcola, after which the route continues across the Carso toward Opicina. The Obelisco stop marks the beginning of the Strada Napoleonica. The obelisk commemorates Emperor Francesco I’s visit to Trieste.

Context and history

The tramway opened in 1902. A brake-failure derailment that October became the subject of the Triestine song “El tram de Opcina.” The cable system replaced rack traction in 1928. The rest of Trieste’s urban tram network closed in 1970, leaving the Opicina line as its sole tramway. A collision in August 2016 halted service; the line reopened on 2 February 2025 after modernisation work.