Dahra Suspended Railway

The **Dahra Suspended Railway** is a unique rapid-transit system in the Liotainian treaty port of Dahra.

### History and Overview

The city of Dahra has proved extremely challenging from the standpoint of urban modernization. Over the centuries, the Walled City was built up to a high level of population density. Most local structures are 3-4 stories tall, often holding multiple families across those levels. Most streets are extremely narrow, winding, and designed solely for pedestrians; the average street width is often 3m or less.

A great deal of consideration was given to building an underground metro system. Soil studies, as well as the deep Reman-era sewer and drainage systems, eventually caused the idea of an underground system to be rejected.

In 1898, a Draken inventor proposed a particularly unique solution: a suspended electric railway where the carriages hung from a pair of overhead rails. The designers proposed that the suspended railway would run above Dahra's two main streets, which met in the Citadel Market. These two streets were wide enough for two side-by-side trains to pass with safety margins on both sides.

The proposal held several attractions for Dahra in particular. The suspended trams could operate at higher speeds without fear of collision with pedestrians, animals, or obstacles on the already-crowded streets. Further, the elevated trams allowed an excellent view of interesting portions of the city, offering tourist potential. Finally, the suspended railway would cost significantly less to build in comparison to a subterranean system (which was expected to cost nearly one and a half times more than the suspended system).

In 1899, city planners sent the proposal to a municipal special election, with 63% of voters favoring the suspended railway.

### Design

The vast majority of the system was designed and constructed by Draken firms.

The carriages are suspended from two side-by-side rails placed inside an enclosed box. Regular flanged wheels ride on these rails (which are placed 50cm apart). Also inside this enclosed box structure is the catenary for electrical pickup, thus protecting the electrical systems from damage and weather.

The rails are in turn suspended from horizontal support beams, held aloft by vertical pilings driven into the ground. Significant detail was paid to the design of the pilings, which received decorative ironwork, ranging from floral arrangements, Erisian fluting, statues, and country scenes. A thick covering of rust-resistant paint (or bronze gilding in Citadel Market) was applied.

Stations are also elevated, being reached by stairs and electrical-powered elevators.

The carriages are steel-framed but wood-bodied designs. Each unit is powered, usually running in a three-carriage trainset.

### Safety

The system has proven significantly more safe than a comparable street-level tram, operating without injury since operation started in 1902.

Several early issues cropped up with failures in the electrical pickups of the trams, resulting in three cases of a carriage set becoming stuck in mid-air between stations.

### Trivia

* A special luxury carriage was built in 1907 for the use of dignitaries.