A train that looks as though it belongs in a science-fiction film has been crossing a German city for 125 years. But when the Wuppertal Schwebebahn began carrying passengers in 1901, its unusual appearance was not meant to impress. It was an answer to a very practical problem: there was scarcely any space left on the ground for another major transport route.
Today, the railway runs for about 13 kilometres through Wuppertal, mostly above the River Wupper, and connects more than 80,000 people each day, according to its operator Wuppertaler Stadtwerke (WSW). With 20 stations, it remains part of the city's everyday transport system rather than merely a surviving piece of industrial history.
