Where is Monongahela Incline located?

Monongahela Incline is located in PA.

How do I get tickets to Monongahela Incline?

Tickets and current schedules are available on the operator's official website at https://monongahelaincline.com/.

Photo by Suckindiesel at English Wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Monongahela Incline

Upcoming Events

No ticketed events are currently listed for Monongahela Incline. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.

Check the operator’s website for current hours and special runs, or subscribe to event alerts and we’ll email you when something is scheduled.

About Monongahela Incline

Riding the Monongahela Incline on Pittsburgh’s South Side ascends 369 feet over a 635‑foot track at 6 mph, climbing the steep face of Mt. Washington beside the Smithfield Street Bridge. The broad‑gauge (5 ft) funicular, operating since May 28 1870, remains the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States. Its two 23‑passenger cars connect the lower Station Square area with the historic hilltop neighborhood, offering panoramic views of the river and city skyline.

🌐 Visit Website

History

The Monongahela Incline opens on May 28 1870, designed by Prussian‑born engineer John Endres and assisted by his daughter Caroline Endres, marking the first passenger‑carrying funicular in the United States. It receives its first major upgrade in 1882 when a steel structure replaces the original timber, and the original steam drive is converted to electric power in 1935. After being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the incline and the nearby Duquesne Incline are designated Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1977, a year in which both serve more than one million riders. Renovations in 1982–83 replace track, cars and stations; further work in 1994 updates the upper and lower stations, restores the cars and installs new electric motors and controls, while the most recent overhaul in 2022–23 modernizes mechanical controls, the electrical system and adds exterior track lighting. Operated today by Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the incline—still the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States—briefly closes on February 2 2019 after flood damage and reopens on May 10 2019 following extensive repairs.

The Trains

The Monongahela Incline runs on a single 635‑foot (194 m) track of 5 ft (1,524 mm) broad gauge, climbing 369.39 feet (112.59 m) at a 35‑degree, 35‑minute grade between its lower station opposite the Station Square shopping complex and its upper station atop Mt. Washington. Each of the two passenger cars holds 23 riders and travels at about 6 mph (9.7 km/h). The incline’s rolling stock has been rebuilt several times, most recently during the 2022–23 renovation that replaced the cars’ mechanical controls, electrical system and exterior lighting.

Nearby

The Monongahela Incline climbs a steep hillside above the river in Pennsylvania; pair the ride with the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, Inc. about 20 mi away.