GERMANY: There is a favourable economic case for the expansion of Dortmund’s H-Bahn suspension monorail, studies have found.
One proposed route would run from the university campus to the Theodor Fliedner-Heim U42 stop. Another would run from Dorstfeld S-Bahn station via the Smart Rhino development area and Hafen to Fredenbaum on U41.
Operator H-BAHN21 will now seek further funding for detailed studies and implementation, including construction of a 0·8 km section of guideway to trial new automation technology. This test track could eventually be incorporated into the U42 link.
The H-Bahn automated monorail opened in 1984. The 3 km two-route network serving the university campus is integrated into the city’s transport system, and carries up to 8 000 passengers per day.
‘With the two studies, we now have it in black and white: our H-Bahn is also a unique technology for the future, with which we can further expand climate-friendly mobility in our city’, said Mayor Thomas Westphal on January 27.
‘The university campus and technology park with tens of thousands of students and employees can be networked even more closely with local buses and trains. Dortmund’s new Smart Rhino city district could be planned from the start with an innovative and resource-saving connection.’
