Monongahela Incline (Upper Station), Pittsburgh (must see)

The upper station of the Monongahela Incline sits along the crest of Mount Washington, overlooking one of Pittsburgh’s most recognizable cityscapes. From this elevated position, visitors can see Downtown Pittsburgh, the Monongahela River, and a dense network of bridges stretching across the water. The station’s location along Grandview Avenue places it within one of the city’s best-known scenic areas, where steep hillsides and river valleys define the landscape.

Opened on May 28, 1870, the Monongahela Incline is the oldest continuously operating funicular railway in the United States. It was built when Pittsburgh’s expanding workforce needed reliable access between riverfront factories and residential communities above the city. It is one of only two surviving passenger inclines from the seventeen that once operated across Pittsburgh during the late nineteenth century, alongside the Duquesne Incline.

The upper station retains much of its historic atmosphere, with the incline’s steep tracks and cable system still functioning as part of Pittsburgh’s public transportation network. Visitors can watch the cars move up and down the hillside while learning about the engineering that shaped daily life in the city’s early industrial era.

A ride on the incline remains one of the most memorable ways to experience Pittsburgh. As the car descends toward Station Square, the skyline gradually shifts into view, framed by bridges, rivers, and neighborhoods layered across the hills. Managed today by Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the incline serves both commuters and visitors, blending working transportation with a preserved piece of the city’s nineteenth-century history.