Where is the oldest suspension railway system in the world?

Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in and around the Wupper valley, east of Düsseldorf. Their suspension monorail (the 'Schwebebahn') with its swift train service is not only a landmark and historical monument. It has been Wuppertal's indispensable means of transport since its inauguration in 1901.

On average, 85,000 passengers use it daily to travel through the city without the problems of junctions or traffic jams. It is scarcely troubled by ice and snow. It is the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world and is a unique system.

With a top speed of 60 kph (about 37 mph), the airy ride from terminus to terminus takes almost 35 minutes. On the 13.3-kilometre-long (about 8,3 miles) route there are 20 stations altogether. The 'Schwebebahn', which winds its way through Wuppertal “like a steely dragon” (in the words of poet Else Schüler), is the prime tourist attraction. More than 1.5 thousand million people have traveled through Wuppertal on it in the course of its 110-year history.

The 'Schwebebahn' was made world-famous by a young elephant called 'Tuffi'. On July 21st 1950 'Tuffi' boarded a train as an advertising gimmick for a visit by the 'Circus Althoff'. Whether or not she felt trapped we do not know, but after only a short ride she had had enough. She burst through the side of the carriage and jumped to freedom, landing in the Wupper River. 'Tuffi' bruised her bottom and achieved worldwide fame.