Germany's 1901 "flying train" carries over 80,000 passengers daily 125 years later

PC: WSW official press release The Wuppertal Suspension Railway, which opened on 1 March 1901, has glided above the Wupper River for 125 years and now carries over 80,000 passengers every day, according to Mayor Miriam Scherff. She says its suspended technology offers a fast, environmentally friendly link between districts along a 13-kilometre stretch of narrow valley, where a connection would otherwise be virtually impossible to manage. To mark the anniversary, Wuppertal's public utilities company, WSW, is running an orange and blue GTW 72 car, restoring the historic Kaiserwagen and planning a public festival in late summer 2026 that will focus on residents' personal stories.Why Germany built the “flying train” above the Wupper valleyScherff explains that the railway's technology, which suspends the cars above the Wupper, reduces traffic congestion and emissions in the city. According to the WSW official press release, it is a fast, environmentally friendly link between Wuppertal's districts. In her words, such a link would otherwise be virtually impossible to manage along a 13-kilometre stretch in the narrow valley.The Mayor also places the railway in the context of the city's hi...