The Dresden Suspension Railway () is a suspended

funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...

located in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and connects the districts of

Loschwitz Loschwitz is a borough (''Geography and urban development of Dresden#City structuring, Stadtbezirk'') of Dresden, Germany, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters (''Stadtteile''): Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes nor ...

and Oberloschwitz (Rochwitz side). It is one of the oldest suspension railways, having entered service on 6 May 1901, the same year the

Wuppertal Schwebebahn The Wuppertaler Schwebebahn () is a suspension railway in Wuppertal, Germany. The line was originally called in () named after its inventor, Eugen Langen. It is the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world. Being grade-se ...

entered service. Like the Wuppertal railway, the system was designed by Eugen Langen. The line is long and is supported on 33 pillars.

Overview

Despite its unusual suspended format, the Dresden Suspension Railway is operated as a conventional

funicular railway A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends ...

. The two cars are attached to each other by a cable, which runs around a drum at the top of the incline. The ascending car is pulled up the hill by the weight of the descending car, assisted if necessary by an electric drive to the drum. The line has the following technical parameters: * Length: ' * Height: ' * Maximum Steepness: ''39.2%'' * Cars: ''2'' * Capacity: ''40 passengers per car'' * Configuration: ''Double suspension track (

Monorail A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...

)'' * Maximum speed: ' * Traction: ''Electricity'' The ''Schwebebahn'' was not damaged in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but it was out of service from 1984 to 1992 due to reconstruction. In 1990 and 2002, extensive repair works took place and there is now a new lookout point on the roof of the upper station. The ''Schwebebahn'' is one of two funicular railways in Dresden, the other being the much more conventional Dresden Cable Car. Both lines are operated by the Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG, who also operate the city's

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

, bus and

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

networks.

References

Specific General # Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe (Hg.): ''Bergauf, bergab mit den Dresdner Bergbahnen.'' Dresden 2005 # Norbert Kuschinski: ''Die jüngere Schwester. 100 Jahre Schwebebahn in Dresden.'' in: Straßenbahnmagazin issue 5/2001, pages 68–73 # Hansjörg F. Zureck: ''Auf dem Balkon von Dresden. Aus der Geschichte der Bergschwebebahn in Dresden-Loschwitz.'' in: Straßenbahnmagazin issue 26/1977, pages 318-330

External links

* * {{Use dmy dates, date=February 2021 Buildings and structures in Dresden Suspended monorails Tourist attractions in Dresden Funicular railways in Germany Railway lines opened in 1901 Monorails in Germany Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe

Overview

See also

References

External links