Pittsburgh is the king of inclines, but can it keep its crown?

The Mon Incline, built in 1870, is the oldest continually operating funicular in the U.S.

Kai Wilson, 24, is all smiles after riding the Monongahela Incline to Mt. Washington on May 22. Wilson is a frequent commuter on the Mon Incline.

Rescue workers from Pittsburgh Paramedic Rescue and Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services conduct an evacuation training exercise on the tracks of the Monongahela Incline on May 22, 2024.

Once used to transport workers up and down “Coal Hill,” the Mon Incline these days caters to a different type of worker as well as tourists. Here, Pittsburgh Paramedic Rescue and Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services personnel make sure they know how to get people out of a jam.

The Mon Incline, linking Grandview Avenue to West Carson Street nearly 400 feet below, is 635 feet long. Its counterbalanced cars travel at 6 mph along a 35% grade.