The growth of many cities is resulting in the emergence of new neighbourhoods on surrounding slopes or adjacent hills. These need to be integrated into the existing public transport network, despite the topographical difficulties.

For many years, two German urban cableways in Baden-Württemberg have been prime examples of how funicular railways can represent the optimal addition to the urban public transport network.

Thanks to individual concepts, both funicular railways, in Bad Wildbad and in Künzelsau, have for many years demonstrated the value added of such urban cableways for the residents and tourists of a region.

Here, the latter is a classic local traffic feeder, opening up the town of Künzelsau to the new development area of Taläcker, on the hill. It operates from 06.15 in the morning to 22.30 at night.

The district of Taläcker, which has 4,000 residents, is therefore served by two 80-person carriages, which can transport 960 people per hour in each direction. Because of the moderate gradient, the gondola structure is based on the “funicular light” concept.

It is possible to pass through the individual levels of the gondola internally, which means that it requires only four doors.

On the summer mountain railway in Bad Wildbad, there are significantly fewer permanent residents on the local mountain of the spa town. Consequently tourist traffic is significantly more noticeable on this railway.

Even during the planning of this railway, the importance of targeted management of the different passengers was recognised. As a result, the classic design of a funicular railway was created for the carriages, with especially equipped compartments for tourists, hikers or bikers.

For passenger comfort, automatic roof windows were installed during maintenance work in the summer of 2021, to allow ventilation of the passenger area. The new, electronically controlled panoramic roof windows open and close automatically on confirmation from a temperature sensor, depending on internal temperature or weather conditions.

Integration into the local public transport

As a mode of transport, funicular railways are very lowmaintenance and enjoy broad acceptance among urban users. The generous space division and the option of different compartment designs allow the railway operator to implement optimal, customer-specific features and customer guidance as well as customising the gondola features to the needs of the town.

Urban cable cars often need to be perceived as a part of the existing transport concept of a region. In the design and features of the carriages, towns often express the desire to adapt the cable car carriages to the design of the existing public transport concept.

The shape, colour and interior of the carriages can therefore be adopted on the basis of existing modes of transport. Modern infotainment systems can also be installed in cable car carriages, so that passengers can be provided with the latest information and connections at all times.

Passengers expect a pleasant atmosphere

Whether funicular or mountain railway, railways have long been more than just the means to reach a destination; they are also a distinguishing feature, the poster child of a region. As such, beautifully shaped, timeless, modern gondolas are needed, which fit in with the overall image of the town and the region.

Individual design, generous windows and glazed panoramic roofs offer passengers an optimal view during their journey. For the interior design, any current materials can be used, as desired by the customer.

Comfort and design are often important criteria here in urban use. In comparison with mountain railways in winter service, which are battered by snow, skis and poles, the wear is fairly low. Nevertheless,the carriages in urban use are also designed for long durability and high user-friendliness.