The summit is famous for its giant statue of Christ the Redeemer and for its views over the city and beaches.

The termini are the historic base station in Cosme Velho and the summit of Corcovado.

The railway was built using metre gauge and the Riggenbach rack system, and has a maximum incline of 30%.

Passengers ride in custom-built electric multiple units (EMU) made by Stadler.

During the descent, energy is recovered by regenerative braking, which leads to a saving of 75% of the overall power consumption.