21 October 2019
2 mins Read
Nigel Herbert captures the moody last hours of Sydney’s ever-controversial monorail on film.
The dark clouds and the pouring rain didn’t stop Sydney finally showing some enthusiasm for the famed monorail, on its ultimate journey.
The queues were long and it was almost impossible to get on board late in the day, a good proportion of the crowds lamenting its passing, if only out of sentimentality.
The trainspotters and photographers were out in force, capturing the controversial piece of Sydney’s tourist infrastructure, before dismantling work begins in August.
Eighties superheroes the Power Rangers were on hand to say farewell – the monorail featured as a backdrop to one of their shows back in the 90s.
The windfall from the final weekend crowds will go to charity, with Camp Quality, CanTeen, Make-A-Wish Australia, The Children’s Hospital Westmead and Youth Off The Streets expected to receive around $10,000 each.
The monorail’s final loop was completed around 9.30pm on Sunday evening, 25 years after its high-profile launch.
Two of its carriages and a 10-metre section of track will be displayed at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. The remainder of concrete and steel is earmarked to be recycled.
Enjoy these final moments of the monorail on us.
Myopic Sydney!
Grade separation of transport services should have been fundamental, I would have thought.
A sad outcome…
It was an awesome day and we loved being there, however the article needs to be fixed.
1/ the show was started in 1993 not the 80’s
2/ the monorail was not actually in the series as the shots from where they filmed those few episodes were to far away but the monorail was used in the movie which was made in 1995 and the movie celebrated its 18th anniversary on the same day that the monorail closed down for the last time as well.