

Once seen as the public transit system of the future, Sydney's monorail is now a thing of the past.
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Photo: Flickr/Billy K


The underused system, often derided as having little draw for tourists and residents alike, gave its last ride on June 30 after 25 years of service. It's now in the process of being decommissioned before dismantling begins in August.

Ironically, the last day of service proved to be one of the monorail's most popular: The Sydney Daily Telegraph reported that 1,500 people took a chance to be one of the final 48 on board, while lines stretched outside the monorail stations. All fares from the final weekend of service were donated to charity.

"It was always more of a novelty rather than an actual transport purpose," Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian told the Telegraph. "That was one of the reasons why we discontinued it."

Indeed, with a short route network that only served a small portion of the city and didn't interface with other modes of public transit, the monorail was doomed to failure almost from the start. Tourists soon realized that short trips weren't worth a $5 ticket, and walked to their destinations instead.

Last march, the New South Wales government purchased the monorail for around $18 million with the sole intent of tearing it down. As it was, the monorail was already due for expensive maintenance, and the building of a new convention center would require significant changes in rails and infrastructure.

Additionally, the NSW government said that taking the monorail out of the equation "simplified contractual agreements" as to who would operate future light rail extensions.

Once the monorail is torn down, more than 90 percent of over 1,600 tons of steel and over 14,000 cubic feet of concrete will be recycled. As for the cars, perhaps Brockway, Ogdenville, or North Haverbrook could use them.