To a country girl, the Sydney Monorail’s sleek design and unintrusive whir as one zipped above the streets and heads of shoppers, seemed futuristic. At that time, I had no idea that it’s construction had been vehemently opposed by so many people and that it was only a few years from being dismantled.
From the time it was proposed in 1984 it excited passions both positive and negative. In 1986 the Sydney Citizens Against Proposed Monorail group organized a protest to which 7000 people turned up. But ongoing protests and high-profile outspoken critics weren’t enough to slow progress. In an attempt to ease Sydney’s transport issues and tempted by TNT’s offer to build the monorail for free, NSW Premier Neville Wran agreed to the monorail’s construction.
Opening in 1988, Sydney Monorail offered passengers a twelve-minute circular journey with seven stops looping Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the Sydney central business and shopping districts. Predicted passenger numbers were never reached and over time the trip became more popular with tourists than locals.
But it was more than simply a tourist attraction. The monorail provided a great backdrop for a number of movie scenes:
1989 – The Saint: Fear in the Park
1995 – Muppets On Wheels
1995 – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
1995 – Napoleon
1999 – Two Hands
2001 – Bollywood Movie, Dil Chahta Hai
Although many Sydneysiders and other Aussies across the country appreciated the Sydney Monorail, it was decommissioned in 2013. Insufficient commuters, expensive fares, poor maintenance and economic mismanagement were all blamed. Perhaps if it had been extended to encompass more of the city centre, and the ticketing system incorporated into that of the public transport system, it may have flourished.
As of writing 10/2024, there are currently no commercial monorails operating in Australia. This year, Gold Coast icon Sea World Monorail stopped running. The Oasis Monorail, also on the Gold Coast closed, in 2017, and Brisbane briefly had a monorail for World Expo 1988.
A number of trains and carriages have been preserved. A full set was acquired by the Sydney Electric Train Society. The Powerhouse Museum and National Transport Museum have a few cars each. A carriage has been converted and is used as an office meeting room by Google in Pyrmont. And some have probably had less than grand endings.
Will Aussie kids ever get to ride a homegrown monorail again? It seems a shame that they might not. Every continent, excluding Antarctica, has at least one monorail. It would be great to see a monorail linking Melbourne Airport with the CBD and other suburbs but the hopes of that are slim when discussion has been ongoing for over seventy years. Just get it built.
BREAKING NEWS! Yes, Aussie kids can get to experience an Australian monorail. See video below.
For more great Sydney Monorail images check out: https://www.flickr.com/photos/16063951@N00/albums/