The Suspension Railway in Wuppertal

Wuppertal in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, has itsmore of a stream.
own unique attraction, the 
suspension railway. Towards the end of the 19thThe stations are an interesting mix of old and new
century many cities needed a solution for their publicstyles. It is well worth stopping at some of the stations
transports.  Most cities preferred the undergroundand have a look at the building before continuing the
solution but Wuppertal decided to use an idea byjourney. It is only a few minutes between the trains.
Eugen Langen. 
 The suspension railway has been very safe. Only one
Eugen Langen had designed a hanging railway infatal accident has happened, despite that the line has
Dresden, although it was more of a funicular railway.been operating for more than a hundred years. In 1999,
The length of the line was only 274 metres. Langenfive people were killed when a train plunged into the
died in 1895 so he never saw his famous railwayWupper river. Unfortunately, it was an unnecessary
himself. The Suspension Railway in Wuppertal startedaccident. During weekend maintenance work, a piece
operating in 1901. The railway was extended in 1903,of metal was forgotten on the track and the first train
creating the track that is still used today.on Monday morning hit the piece of metal and plunged
 into the river.
In German the railway is called Schwebebahn, which 
translates to floating railway but in English it is generallyWuppertal is easy to reach, both by car and by train,
called the hanging railway or the suspension railway.from Cologne, Düsseldorf and the Ruhr-region. It is
The official German name is Einschienige Hangebahnroughly a thirty minute train ride from all three places.
System Eugen Langen. Given that the length of theThe Hanging Railway stops at the main railway station,
track is just 13,3 kilometres (8,3 miles) it is more of aHauptbahnhof in German. Tickets can be bought from
tram than a railway.machines at every station. A daily ticket is good value
 for your money.
Most of the track runs above the Wupper river. The 3 
kilometre stretch between Wohlwinkel and SonnbornerWuppertal was one of the first German towns to
Strasse is called the overland track, which runs abovebecome industrialised. In the early 19th century
the streets. The overland part of the track has aWuppertal was a prosperous town, larger than
completely different design of the support pylonsCologne. But once the industrialisation really got
compared to the main part of the track that runsunderway in Germany, Wuppertal could not keep up
above the Wupper river. with its neighbours. Thanks to its unique railway,
 Wuppertal receives a small but steady stream of
People who are expecting a roller coaster like ride willvisitors.
be disappointed. The trains swing slightly but not much, 
you soon get used to it. The trains run just 8 metresAll in all, the Hanging Railway is more of a unique
(27 feet) above the streets and 10 to 12 metresexperience rather than an exciting railway journey.
(33-40 feet) above the Wupper river so do notWell worth trying if you are in the neighbourhood.
expect any panoramic views from the trains. Also,Although Wuppertal has some other attractions, most
calling Wupper a river is a little bit of exaggeration, it istourists go to Wuppertal just for the Schwebebahn.