Sydney to Pull Down Monorail

[Will]

I dedicate this article to those who denigrate Adelaide as a backwater for going with light rail instead of a monorail.

From the NEWS.COM:

NSW monorail to be pulled down - Premier Barry O'Farrell

From: AAP
March 23, 2012 11:06AM

Monorail is not "integrated" into public transport
Government bought out the monorail owner
Will allow new development in the city
In case you missed it - The Simpsons monorail song


The Sydney Monorail, which has long been considered a folly will be pulled down.

In a move reminiscent of a Simpsons plotline, the NSW state government has acknowledged the monorail is doomed.
Premier Barry O'Farrell today announced the government has bought the company that owns the monorail to clear the way for its removal.
"The monorail is not integrated with Sydney's wider public transport network and has never been truly embraced by the community," he said.
"The monorail is reaching the end of its economic life and the NSW Government cannot justify costly upgrades like the purchase of new vehicles required to keep it running."
The monorail, which came into service in 1988, could be pulled down in two to three years but the government will not know for another 12 to 18 months the exact date of its removal.
The State Government has bought Metro Transport Sydney (MTS) for $19.8 million.
NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said tearing down the monorail would remove any constraints on the proposed new convention centre development in Darling Harbour.
It is expected to be completed by 2015-16.
Buying out MTS gave the Government greater flexibility when it came to planning future public transport, particularly proposed extensions to the light rail network, she said.
"It means our options have increased in relation to light rail," she said in Sydney.

"Our options have increased in relation to how we integrate the convention centre with other modes of public transport.
"The monorail's been around for 20 years, and many argue that its use-by date has arrived, and that is certainly the Government's position."
Mr O'Farrell said the monorail struggled right from the start, with patronage figures in its first two years half that predicted by the Unsworth Labor government.
"The real problem with the monorail I think for most Sydneysiders is that it doesn't actually go anywhere that you want to go," he said.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/nsw-monor ... z1puiE2z6D

[dsriggs]

I guess they decided to fix Main Street after all!

[[Shuz]]

Good on Sydney. It was a useless form of transport that blighted the landscape.

[monotonehell]

It's okay they still have them in Disneyland.

[metro]

This is sad, but at 23 years old it's already looking very tired and replacement parts and technology must be getting pretty expensive. It's not exactly unpopular, everytime I go to ride it it's always full and takes a few laps of it before you can actually get a seat. But I think the last time I rode it was in 2006, so might do one last ride before they pull it down

But the good news is the state government have bought MetroLightRail as well as the monorail, possibly to integrate the LightRail it into the rest of the public transport network. The NSW Government look like they want to build up some more modern Light Rail in Sydney, and Malcolm Turnbull has also expressed his support of bringing it back within his own federal electorate. Hopefully we dont get the usual NSW government infrastructure result.. they propose something, start building it years late and only build half of what was originally proposed.

[Wayno]

let's buy it! monorail, one owner, low km, full service history.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/brea ... 6312836742

[AG]

Apparently Hobart has already been putting its hand up to take the monorail from Sydney - maybe a metaphor for how Tasmanians receive from the rest of Australia?

[pushbutton]

What a pity Adelaide doesn't have the foresight and sense of fun that Hobart seems to have.

[crawf]

Sense of fun?

[peas_and_corn]

I hear those things are awfully loud

[Omicron]