Railway routes in the Ruhr area - The Veltenbahn
A rather less well-known Bahntrassenradweg runs in the south-east of Essen from Freisenbruch down into the Ruhr valley near Steele. The Veltenbahn is only around 2,4 kilometers long and runs through a beautiful forest area completely away from traffic. The connection is part of the Essen mountain route, which runs from the Ruhr Valley to Essen-Kray.
History of the Veltenbahn
The railway line was originally used to transport coal for the "Eintracht Tiefbau" colliery, but there is hardly anything left of it today. After the colliery was shut down, entrepreneur Fritz Velten bought the site and set up the global Fett-Velten grease factory there. After this operation was also discontinued, the siding to Steele was shut down in the 80s and reopened as a cycle path in 1996.
