Wuppertal Schwebebahn

Wuppertaler Schwebebahn
Schwebebahn between Adlerbrücke and Alter Markt
Schwebebahn between Adlerbrücke and Alter Markt
Overview
LocaleWuppertal, Germany
Transit typeSuspension railway
Number of stations20
Daily ridership82,000[1]
Operation
Began operation1 March 1901; 123 years ago (1901-03-01)
Operator(s)Wuppertaler Stadtwerke (WSW)
CharacterElevated
Technical
System length13.3 km (8.3 mi)
Average speed25.6 km/h (15.9 mph)
Top speed60 km/h (37 mph)
System map

Legend
Depot and turning loop
0.0
 Oberbarmen
0.7
 Wupperfeld
1.3
 Werther Brücke
2.0
 Alter Markt
Bundesstraße 7 number.svg B 7 Friedrich-Engels-Allee
2.8
 Adlerbrücke
3.3
 Loher Brücke
4.1
 Völklinger Straße
5.1
 Landgericht
Bundesstraße 7 number.svg B 7 Bundesallee
5.7
Former turning loop
5.8
 Kluse/Schauspielhaus
Bundesstraße 7 number.svg B 7 Bundesallee
6.3
 Wuppertal Hauptbahnhof
6.8
 Ohligsmühle
Bundesstraße 7 number.svg B 7 Bundesallee
7.4
 Robert-Daum-Platz
8.2
 Pestalozzistraße
8.8
 Westende
9.7
 Varresbecker Straße
10.3
Düsseldorf–Elberfeld railway
10.4
 Zoo/Stadion
10.5
Former turntable/turning loop
10.6
Start of the Overland section.
Bundesstraße 228 number.svg B 228 Sonnborner Straße
11.0
 Sonnborner Straße
11.3
Bundesautobahn 46 number.svg A 46 Sonnborner Kreuz
11.7
 Hammerstein
12.5
 Bruch
Bundesstraße 224 number.svg B 224 Gräfrather Straße
13.3
 Vohwinkel
Main workshops and turning loop
This diagram:

The Wuppertaler Schwebebahn (English: Wuppertal's Suspension Railway) is a suspension railway in Wuppertal, Germany. The line was originally called in German: Einschienige Hängebahn System Eugen Langen (English: Single-Rail Hanging Railway, System of Eugen Langen) named after its inventor, Eugen Langen. It is the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world. Being grade-separated, it is considered rapid transit.[2]

Langen first offered the technology to the cities of Berlin, Munich, and Breslau who all turned it down.[3] However, the towns of Barmen, Elberfeld, and Vohwinkel along the banks of the river Wupper were intrigued by the technology’s ability to connect their communities. The elevated tracks and stations were built between 1897 and 1903; the first track opened in 1901. The railway line is credited with growth of the original cities and their eventual merger into Wuppertal.[3] The Schwebebahn is still in use as a local public transport line, moving 25 million passengers annually, per the 2008 annual report.[4] New rail cars were ordered in 2015, called Generation 15, and the first new car went into service in December 2016.

The Schwebebahn runs along a route of 13.3 kilometres (8.3 mi), at a height of about 12 metres (39 ft) above the river Wupper between Oberbarmen and Sonnborner Straße (10 kilometres or 6.2 miles) and about 8 metres (26 ft) above the valley road between Sonnborner Straße and Vohwinkel (3.3 kilometres or 2.1 miles).[5][6] At one point the railway crosses the A46 motorway. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes.[6] The Schwebebahn operates within the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) and accepts tickets issued by the VRR companies including the Deutschlandticket.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Schwebebahn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Weigelt, Horst; Weiss, Helmut H.; Götz, Rainer E. (1977). City Traffic: A Systems Digest. Van Nostrand Reinhold. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-442-29259-1. And the 1901 constructed suspended monorail (Schwebebahn) in Wuppertal, Germany, can, because of its grade separated operation and its conformity with other definitions, be called a rapid transit system.
  3. ^ a b Küffner, Georg (25 August 1998). "Die Große Erneuerung ist schon arg in Verzug" [The Great Renewal is already badly behind schedule]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Frankfurt General Newspaper) (in German). Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. ^ "2008 Annual report" (PDF). WSW Group of companies (in German). p. 44. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2010.
  5. ^ Robert Schwandl. "Wuppertal". UrbanRail.net. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Uni Wuppertal – Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history". Archived from the original on 8 October 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2007.