Ayré Barèges Funicular

A leisurely mountain hike from Barèges follows the tracks of an abandoned funicular railway and leads to the now-abandoned former upper arrival station. 

The first section of the funicular went into operation in 1937 and was originally deployed to transport winter sports enthusiasts from the village of Barèges to a first arrival station built on the Lienz plateau. About a decade later, a second section was opened to take passengers to an upper station towards the Pic de l'Ayré. A further extension was used by Électricité de France employees to reach yet another station to facilitate work on the Pyrenean hydroelectric network. 

The funicular was a familiar sight on the mountainside above Barèges throughout the second half of the 20th century, with successive incarnations of cabins ferrying skiers during the winter season, and hikers and mountain bikers the rest of the year. However, with the introduction of stricter safety standards for public funicular services, the local council was unable to fund the necessary refurbishment work, closing down operations in 2000.

The line and top station can still be seen from the nearby ski slopes during the winter season. When there is no snow, a footpath zigzags beneath and around the concrete structures of the abandoned line, ending at the top station, where the arrival platform is silent and the view from the windows of the upper panoramic restaurant is now just out of reach. One of the railway's last-generation green metal cabins remains in place, while its twin counterpart can still be seen at the back of the former departure station in the village of Barèges itself. 

Since 2009, an association of enthusiasts has been working on plans to renovate the funicular and restore the arrival station to host cultural events in the coming years.