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Wuppertal
The Wuppertal Schwebebahn is one of the most unique public transit system in the world, a true monorail. Opened in 1901, the Schwebebahn operated over 98 years before it recorded its first fatal accident and thus quite correctly, can be called the safest public transit system in the world. What is also interesting is that the Schwebebahn was never copied as a model for 'public transit' anywhere else in the world, a singular fact that the monorail lobby wishes everyone to forget.
The Schwebebahn is a true monorail, unlike straddle-beam monorails such as Seattle's vintage ALWEG monorail which is nearing its 50 year birthday.
The Schwebebahn survived World War Two, mainly because the majority of the route is suspended above the River Wupper, thus escaping serious bomb damage and was easy to get back into operation after the cessation of hostilities.
The lessons of the Schwebebahn and ALWEG monorails in general is that, indeed gadgetbahnen do work, but for many and varied reasons, have failed to become a recognized public transit system in the eyes of urban transit planners, a lesson that that TransLink and the SkyTrain lobby fail to understand.
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