Originally designed in a similar manner in 1824 by Henry Robinson Palmer (England), the Wuppertal Suspension Railway is a suspension railway whose first track was opened in 1901, in Wuppertal, Nord-Rhein Westfalen, Germany. The system is recognized as Schwebebahn in the whole of Germany. This railway system has since then been 'copied' around the world. A good example is the Memphis Suspension Railway in U.S.A .


It is a weird-looking but futuristic electric elevated railway with hanging cars. De-commissioned during the 2nd World War, the Schwebebahn has been significantly modified. The cars are suspended from a single rail built underneath a supporting steel frame. The cars hang on wheels which are driven by an electric motor operating at 600 volts DC, fed from an extra rail.

The supporting frame and tracks are made out of 486 pillars and bridgework sections. The termini at each end of the line also serve as train depots and reversers.

The current fleet consists of twenty-seven two-car trains built in the 1970s. The cars are 24 metres long and have 4 doors. One carriage can seat 48 with approximately 130 standing passengers. The top speed is 60 km/h and the average speed is 27 km/h.

The Kaiserwagen (Emperor's car), the original train used by Emperor Wilhelm II during a test ride on 24 October 1900, is still operated on scheduled excursion services, special occasions and for charter events

For safety reasons, operations were halted at specific periods for the Renovation of the System's support structures. However, it must be noted that till this day, some accidents and casualties have been reported. Notwithstanding, the Schwebebahn/Hochbahn System operates in full swing currently in the German city of Wuppertal.

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Link: http://www.young-germany.de/topic/study/city-campus/wuppertal-the-city-in-the-valley

Source : younggermany.de