Euskotren, a public company of the Basque Government's Department of Sustainable Mobility, will commemorate this Thursday the 100th anniversary of the inauguration of the Larreineta funicular, which began service on September 24, 1926. To pay homage to the history of this emblematic mode of transport, a special event has been organized, featuring, among others, the Minister of Sustainable Mobility, Susana García Chueca, and the Minister of Tourism, Javier Hurtado.
During the event, the journey of yesteryear will be recalled through a theatrical trip, also remembering the passengers who used the funicular to go to their workplaces. Also attending will be the mayor of Trapagaran, Miguel Ángel Gómez Viar, along with mayors from other towns; the director of Tourism for the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Leire Sáez, and the general director of Euskotren, Javier Seoane.
The Larreineta funicular is unique in Europe for its technical peculiarity: a special horizontal platform and detachable cabins via gantry cranes. These facilitated their removal in a few minutes to allow road vehicles to pass, which streamlined and reduced the cost of freight transport essential in the Meatzaldea region.
To celebrate the centenary, one of the current passenger cabins will be replaced by a vehicle from that era. Thus, historical journeys from decades ago will be remembered, as well as the passengers who once used the funicular to get to their jobs.
The schedule for these journeys is as follows:
• 11:30 AM Departure from Larreineta
• 12:00 PM Departure from La Escontrilla
• 12:30 PM Departure from Larreineta
• 1:00 PM Departure from Escontrilla
• 11:30 AM Departure from Larreineta
• 12:00 PM Departure from La Escontrilla
• 12:30 PM Departure from Larreineta
• 1:00 PM Departure from Escontrilla
