Sydney Monorail: the final stop after 25 years
(24 June 2013.)
For 25 years, the Metro Monorail (wiki) has allowed both residents and visitors to go between the downtown Central Business District (CBD) and Darling Harbour. After spending some time in Sydney, it’ll be different to view the CBD without seeing the overhead guideway or the monorail sliding in between the buildings.
On the other hand, some argue it’s about time the unsightly eyesore of the monorail disappeared.
What’s certain is that the Sydney Monorail service will cease operations on 30 June 2013.
After many years of abandonment and neglect, Darling Harbour was redeveloped in the late-1980s as a pedestrian vehicle-free tourist area. The redevelopment project included construction of the Sydney Monorail which began operations in 1988. The monorail was built as a single 3.6-kilometre loop with eight stations, connecting the CBD, Darling Harbour, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, and Chinatown/Haymarket in a complete circuit within 20 minutes.
With little prospect for an upgrade to an aging transport system or for continuing operating funds, the transport authority for the state of New South Wales purchased the company operating the Monorail, and announced in June 2012 monorail operations would stop in one year’s time.
After its final stop on 30 June, the monorail trains will be decommissioned. The track, guideway, and station infrastructure will be dismantled, demolished, and removed. This process will give way for an expanded entertainment, convention, and exhibition centre (International Convention Centre, ICC Sydney) for scheduled completion by the end of 2016, although some disagree with plans to demolish the present convention centre.
“Goodbye, and thanks for the memories …”
Removal of the monorail began August 2013 and was completed by April 2014.
I made the photos above on 2 April, 12 April, and 12 May 2013. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-3d3.
Pitt St., north of Liverpool St.
Liverpool St & Pitt St
World Square station
Galeries Victoria station
Pitt St., north to City Centre station
Facing east, on Pyrmont Bridge
Entering Harbourside station
Pyrmont Bridge, from Darling Harbour
Afternoon light, Pyrmont Bridge
From Darling Park station, east to Sydney Tower
Darling Park station, in late-afternoon light
Two and one, near Darling Park
SEC, Harbour Street
Park St. at Pitt St., near Galeries Victoria station
Fotoeins Fotografie 
6 Responses to “Sydney Monorail: the final stop after 25 years”
What will I do when I go to Sydney? (lol) I’m so used to going to the Convention Centre and travelling from Darling Harbour to the shopping district by monorail. I’ve been to many conferences at the centre and stay at the Ibis, Novotel or The Oaks because it was so convenient to get into the city.
I knew about the monorail closing but didn’t know the Convention Centre was being demolished. That may explain why they moved our conference to Melbourne this year.
I loved the photos. Did you take them?
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Hi, Leanne. Thanks, and yes, I made all of the photos in the post. 🙂 According to the 131500.com New South Wales transit website, there are at least a couple of bus routes which connect Pyrmont/Darling Harbour with the CBD, and there is also the Light Rail option from Central station. They may not offer the same or direct links as the monorail, but there you go. I didn’t know about the planned expansion/rebuilding of the Convention Centre until I did a little research, but apparently, there is some controversy about (i) the architectural heritage of the present Convention Centre and whether the centre should be demolished at all, and (ii) consequences to (the future volume of) pedestrian- and visitor-traffic in Darling Harbour after construction is completed. Thanks for reading and for your comment!
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That’s a shame – it looks really neat and futuristic. I wish I could have seen it with my own eyes!
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Hi, Charlotte. Upon completion in 1988, I’m sure Sydneysiders and visitors to the city thought and felt the same way. Unfortunately, the state authority has decided the monorail must come down! I don’t know of many monorail-type systems remaining around the world, although I’m fascinated by the “upside-down” version or the “Hängebahn” in Düsseldorf, which I see all the time from the train on my way into Köln from Hamburg. Thanks for reading, und danke für den Kommentar! 🙂
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I think it’s a shame that it has to go. I never took a ride on it, but I kind of liked it when I visited Sydney. It’s part of the cityscape. Thanks for capturing it so nicely!
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Hi, Christina, and thanks. It’s been interesting to read the diversity of opinion regarding the Sydney Monorail. As visitors, we have specific memories of places visited, and anything to change those places would disturb those memories. I also can’t help but view Sydney’s CBD and Darling Harbour area as a little “emptier” without the Monorail. Thanks again for reading and for your comment!
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