on several occasions you have spoken of a cable car in the Taunus. What’s up with that?

Bernhard Biener

correspondent of the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the high Taunus district.

F. A. Z.

I cable car projects consider to be a reasonable complement to the Public transport (PT) in the Metropolitan area Frankfurt/Rhine-Main. As the district administrator of the Hoch-Taunus nature Park, I see the Chance of a connection from the upper Weiltal and Schmitten over the Feldberg to the high mark in Oberursel. In the high Taunus district, there are three trails through the Taunus mountain range: The hall of the castle Chaussee in Bad Homburg, the famous PPR-junction, cannon street over the sand placken and, thirdly, the connection of the king stone. For the road over the sand, the cable car is placken the only way to reduce the individual traffic on the road and to make an additional public offering.

How would look the exact route?

There should be a Station at the metro Terminus high mark and a mid-station on the Great Feldberg would be useful. On the other side of the ridge there is a need for a Station in Schmitten, by which I mean the total community. To attract commuters to switch to public TRANSPORT, would need to there and at the high mark appropriate Parking capacity will be provided. Such an offer would have a double Benefit: It would serve the commuter traffic during the week, and could intercept when the weather is nice on weekends the tourist traffic.

What was happening in the first place?

The use of public transport is clearly in the foreground, otherwise I would not tackle the issue. The nature Park has its 20 million visitors a year, but all on the Feldberg. In addition, the tourism depends in the field of mountain territory to the weather. He can only be an additional effect.

What capacity should have such a cable car?

it would have to be a tri-cable gondola, as it has been built, for example, in Koblenz. To be public TRANSPORT friendly, were cabins for 28 to 35 people are required. Depending on the demand for cabins in such a System. This must of course be equipped with bicycles, strollers and wheelchairs can be taken.

Where in Schmitten could be the Station, the users to collect from the Usinger Land? In the Weiltal?

it is Important a connection to the System of country roads, in order to have an efficient access. The citizens should not be through additional traffic charged. The acceptance for such a project will not rise when the cable car, hovering over a populated area. The advantage in the Taunus is, that you can be guided by Schmitten to the Feldberg mountain and from there down to the high mark on the forest.

There was once a Feldberg-Lift GmbH. In 1971, the Darmstadt regional Council has approved a gondola on the Great Feldberg. At that time there was a Protest because of the necessary eight-Meter-wide swath.

This is no longer the case with modern systems. The track can ride over the trees.

In any case, the distance would be very long, the rail would have to bypass several kilometers. This is something other than the Rhine crossing in Koblenz.

It is true that we come with a cable car between the high mark and the Schmitten at the extreme limit of what is reasonable. But it would be technically feasible. Koblenz is a good example of this. There, the demand is even without the Federal garden show to be very high, and the railway is actively used.