Wuppertal Schwebebahn, Suspension railway system in Wuppertal, Germany
The Wuppertal Schwebebahn is a suspension railway in Wuppertal, Germany, that runs for 13.3 kilometers and links twenty stops across the city. Most of the route follows the course of the Wupper River, while some sections pass above streets at heights ranging from eight to twelve meters.
Operations began in March 1901, linking the towns of Barmen, Elberfeld and Vohwinkel before they merged to form Wuppertal. Engineer Eugen Langen designed the system to solve transport challenges in the narrow river valley.
Passengers can look down through the windows and see the river flowing beneath them or watch cars and pedestrians moving along the streets below. This bird's-eye view turns every ride into a chance to observe daily life from an unusual angle.
Trains run regularly throughout the day, and the full journey from one end to the other takes around thirty minutes. You can board at any stop and enjoy continuous views through the windows along the way.
The design uses a single rail from which the cars hang, setting this system apart from nearly every other urban transit line in the world. After more than 120 years, it remains the oldest electric hanging railway still carrying passengers.
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