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Panoramic view on the North Campus © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
TRANSPORT STUDIES CONFIRM BENEFITS

Important Step Towards Expansion of Suspension Railway

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An H-train car stops at a stop on campus and snow is falling. © Aliona Kardash​/​TU Dortmund
The “H-Bahn” suspension railway could run from the university’s campus to the U42 tramline in Barop by 2030.
[Translate to English:] © [Translate to English:]
[Translate to English:] Bis 2030 könnte die H-Bahn vom Unicampus bis zur Stadtbahnlinie U42 in Barop fahren.
Two transport studies consider that the planned extensions to the suspension railway make economic sense. This also includes an extension from the university’s campus to the U42 tramline in Barop. According to information from DSW21 (Dortmund Public Utilities), clarifying financial and technical questions is the next step. The new line could go into operation by 2030.

The expansion of the “H-Bahn” suspension railway will play a key role in upgrading public transport and climate-friendly mobility over the longer term. That is why, back in 2021, the Ministry of Transport in North Rhine-Westphalia made over €700,000 available for planning services for two expansion projects. The transport studies examined the construction of the potential routes vis-à-vis a wide range of economic and ecological criteria, which also included passenger demand and pollution. The result was that the cost-benefit indicator spoke clearly in favor of expansion – both the extension of the route from the campus to the tram station in Barop and a connection from the Dorstfeld stop to the “Smart Rhino” site, where facilities for Fachhochschule Dortmund – University of Applied Sciences and Arts are to be built.

Automation needed

What now needs clarifying are the financial questions. In addition, a new automation system must be developed that should efficiently integrate all functions: Autonomous driving, control-command and signaling. As a first step, the construction of a test track 0.8 kilometers in length could already start at the end of the year, which would run from the “DO-Universität S” stop via the “Emil-Figge-Straße/Dorstfelder Allee” traffic circle to the “Ortsmühle” student dorm.

The sketch shows three outlined H-Bahn symbols connected by a black and white line. Next to the H-Bahn symbols you can read "Dortmund-Universität", "Ortsmühle" and "Theodor-Fliedner-Heim (Messe/Stadion)".

Final construction by 2030

This test track could then constitute the first part of the stretch between the campus and the U42 tramline, which is to be connected close to the “Theodor-Fliedner-Heim” stop in a second construction phase. Linking the suspension railway and the U42 tramline will hopefully tangibly relieve the bus connections and the S1 suburban rail link between TU Dortmund University and Dortmund city center. The new line could be in operation by 2030 after a construction time of two years.

The “H-Bahn” suspension railway
Dortmund’s suspension railway went into operation in 1984 and was Germany’s first driverless and conductorless fully automatic passenger transport system that met all legal standards. Since then, the emission-free “H-Bahn” has notched up over 5 million kilometers and transported almost 40 million passengers.

Press release of DSW21 (German only)

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