The Incline Railway is one of the most valuable properties for Chattanooga’s public transit agency but isn’t living up to its potential, said CARTA officials who want to increase visitors by two or three times.
The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority will spend $195,000 on a first-phase study to understand possibilities for getting more value from the Lookout Mountain attraction in a plan approved by the board of directors on Thursday.
The railway attracted 212,000 visitors and generated more than $4 million in direct revenue for CARTA in 2024, according to figures presented to the board.
CARTA enlisted the tourism design firm behind Rock City’s rebrand to gather information on capacity and possible upgrades for one of the world’s steepest railways, which celebrated 130 years this month.
“We know the historic value and the engineering marvel that the Incline is,” Doug Carlson, director of transit planning and quality at CARTA, told the board. “It is just underutilized.”