Yesterday, NSW Premier, Barry O’Farrell confirmed the government had bought Metro Transport (owners of Sydney’s light rail network and monorail) and planned to tear down the latter “as soon as feasible”. In reality, that could be a year or two away, but Giz will kind of miss the 24-year old institution when it goes, even if it is mainly used by tourists these days.
NSW Transport minister, Gladys Berejiklian called the $19.8 million deal a chance to get Sydney’s CBD transport right. That’s certainly true – with some careful planning of extensions, the light rail line could really become useful. Especially if they integrate ticketing with trains, buses and ferries via the upcoming ‘Opal Card’ system.
Opened in 1988, the monorail never really 100 per cent caught on, despite its eventual 3.6km of track and 8 stations. We knew the chop was coming of course: Infrastructure NSW ‘s discussions with three different consortiums to redevelop the Sydney Convention Centre area mean the monorail basically became a burden that could no longer be avoided. [Daily Telegraph]
Can I get a sad monorail sing-along?