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Once I read in our local newspaper about the suspension train of Wuppertal, a small town in the North Rhine-Westphalia of the northwestern part of Germany. The report in the newspaper said that there is a suspension train in that town since running overhead as a means of transportation for the town. I had heard years ago that an attempt had been made in Goa but they had to abandon it as the train toppled from the overhead rail resulting in some casualty. It is a pity in our country if we fail in the first attempt then we never try it again. . So I thought I should go and visit this place and enjoy a ride in it.
When I mentioned this suspension train to Elke, my German friend, she said that we could go to have a joy ride in that train. So we visited Wuppertal. It is a city in North Rhine -Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the river Wupper Valley, and is situated east of the City of Dusseldorf and South of Ruhr area.
The hanging railway in Germany’s western central city of Wuppertal (pronounced Voopahtahl) is the oldest monorail system in the world. Built in 1900, the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn or “floating train” has been continuously operated since 1901, despite two world wars, various accidents and other turbulent events
In 1898, construction on the actual Wuppertal monorail began and after a construction period of only three years, under master builder Wilhem Feldmann, was opened in 1901. It was soon known as the “Wuppertaler Schwebebahn,” literally Wuppertal’s “floating train.” So great was the hype around this new mode of urban transport that even German Emperor William II was roped in to ride the monorail during a trial run on October 24, 1900.
Today, the suspended monorail stretches over a track system of 13.3 km and 20 stops. 10 km of tracks follow the Wupper River at an elevation of 12 meters and for 3.3 km; the tracks follow Wuppertal’s narrow streets at a height of 8 m. The monorail reaches top speeds of up to 60 km/h and covers the complete distance in about 30 minutes. It is a popular mode of transport
I wondered why this has not caught the eyes of some experts in India as this would help having transportation line above the road level saving lot of space on the ground, lower construction costs compared to conventional transport system, less noise pollution and no interference with existing transport systems. I was told about its disadvantages, Monorails can only run on their own tracks, therefore making compatibility with any other rail infrastructure virtually impossible. Also, each monorail requires unique parts from a particular manufacturer, making servicing time-consuming and costly.
I had joy ride in that train. I took a couple of round trip which I found interesting. It was running over the heads of men and especially roads and a river which was crossing the city. I found that even now people from all over Germany come to Wuppertal to experience the joy ride in the “suspension train.” Though it is over a century old, it has not lost its attraction. People in the city use it as a means of transport. Thus I experienced the joy ride in the “suspension train”.