When I visited Sydney a couple of years ago, I was gutted to discover that the city had enjoyed a monorail service, but this had all finished 2 years before I arrived. All that was left was a few stations with no connecting rail system.
I understand that the monorail wasn't universally popular with residents. For the Sydneysider, the system didn't go anywhere useful and there was quite a lot of visual clutter associated with a high-level system. However, as a tourist staying in Darling Harbour, it would have been brilliant for me and not just because I've never actually ridden on a monorail.
At least we can enjoy some video and watch another bit of the future, along with Concorde, which has already become the past.
8 comments:
So sorry to hear the Mono Rail is no more. Back in, was it 1989 ?, I was staying in a hotel near the Opera House and as a rail buff I had to ride the Mono Rail. It went around in a circle and seemed well used but perhaps mainly by tourists. It glided along effortlessly above the ground and gave a unique view of the City. I thought it the future for all large cities as it seemed to “fly” through buildings like a slowed down amusement park ride.
All that infrastructure dismantled ? Seems surprising to me.
You've missed your chance with Blackpool as well. I think Chester Zoo still has one?
Beaulieu motor museum still has one trundling around the estate, between the ticket office and the main building of the museum. Perhaps not quite the same as Sydney's slick urban system, but can't think of any others in the UK.
It's main failing was it didn't go anywhere you'd want to go, or connect with other systems. In Sydney currently, they have closed the main road to traffic and are building light rail to run down it - if the monorail had done this in the first place, we'd have been well ahead. A shame.
The infrastructure as the moment has all been removed save the stations. It was a bit of mixed bag really, it had great potential but failed to go anywhere useful, so it never got the business of business people.
There's a steam monorail in wales!
It wasn't great when I visited about 10 years ago. Apart from the poor view out of the very cramped and stuffy cars, the whole thing was very run down (operated by Veolia). Good for a short tourist ride, but as vomit-inducing on the hot day I went as a Voyager....
From when I was about 3 until I was about 6 or 7 whenever I went into Sydney (which was quite regularly) I would just sit on the monorail and go round in circles, I couldn't get enough of it and was gutted when it was removed.
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