The German city with an incredible upside down railway
CNN
A 19th-century sci-fi vision of the future, the Wuppertal suspension railway is an extraordinary and elegant transport solution that raises commuting to another level -- unless you're an elephant.
(CNN) — Suspension railways today seem like an anachronism -- a 19th-century vision of what the future of transport would look like. By the year 2022, surely we would all be commuting to work on upside down railways!
Unlike boring ordinary train lines that stay determinedly fixed to terra firma, suspension railways dangle beneath a track suspended from pylons. Their carriages swoosh over roads, rivers and other obstructions, while passengers get to enjoy the view.
The idea, ironically, never really got off the ground despite a few successful if short-lived ventures like the Braniff Jetrail Fastpark System that whisked passengers from parking lot to terminal at Dallas Love Field for four years before the airport closed in 1974.