A unique travel crisis unspools in Chile’s Valparaiso

In Chile’s port city of Valparaiso, people are perhaps facing more ups and downs than almost anywhere else, as the city’s funiculars have been turned off.

With no tourists in town because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the city’s unique public transport system has ground to a halt.

A lack of ticket sales to fund their operation has led officials to close these urban lifts, which typically whisk travellers and residents through the steep, hilly terrain of Valparaiso. This means residents are having to tackle the city’s unforgiving terrain on foot.

The unique cable car funiculars are designed to make travel between Valparaiso’s upper town in the hills and its port side region by the sea easier.

The first lift was put in place back in 1911 and many more came after, in an effort to connect all of the city’s isolated neighbourhoods. In its prime, there were 31 working funiculars. More recently, only 14 of the cable car systems in the UNESCO-listed region have been operational.

They are usually the cheapest way to ascend the hills.

Today, none of Valparaiso’s funiculars are turned on, which means residents have to climb and descend thousands of steps any time they want to go and buy groceries, travel to work or visit family.

Known for its creative street art, Valparaiso offers them a colourful canvas to look at as they navigate the hilly region.

However, closure of this means of transportation has cut off many people, including senior citizens and those with reduced mobility, who depend on it as their only means of getting around.

Bohemian and colourful, Valparaiso’s maze of hills and lofty look-out points have long inspired poets and writers. One can spot a gem probably at every turn here. A gem of a building, a remarkable art gallery or some little gastronomic ‘find’. The city has many carnivals and the New Year celebrations at Valparaiso’s ocean-front fireworks party draws a large crowd every time.

The ‘Jewel of the Pacific,’ as Valparaíso is known, is also home to Chile’s Legislative Congress and the headquarters of the Chilean navy.