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Sydney Monorail
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Sydney Monorail
The Sydney Monorail (originally TNT Harbourlink and later Metro Monorail) was a single-loop monorail in Sydney, that connected Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the Sydney central business and shopping districts. It opened on 21 July 1988 and closed on 30 June 2013.
There were eight stations on the 3.6-kilometre (2.237 mi) loop, with up to six trains operating simultaneously. It served major attractions and facilities such as the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Aquarium and Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. The system was operated by Veolia Transport Sydney, a former subsidiary of Veolia Transport and a subsidiary of Veolia Transdev at the time of cessation.
As part of the redevelopment of 50 ha (123.553 acres) of land at Darling Harbour, it was proposed to build a transport link to the Sydney central business district. Sydney City Council preferred a light rail line, however in November 1985 Transport Minister Laurie Brereton announced a monorail would be built.
Before November 1984, the consultants Pak-Poy & Kneebone Pty. Ltd. were engaged by the Ministry of Transport and the Public Works Department "to assess the physical and financial feasibility of new light rail systems in the Sydney Central Business District". The assessment was "with particular application to the Darling Harbour Re-Development" but included possible extension to other locations.
In "early 1985" the Darling Harbour Authority received more than 20 expressions of interest for a proposed people mover. The monorail was hinted at in the August 1985 Glebe Island Arterial (Anzac Bridge) Environmental Impact Statement before the public announcement. It stated a "people mover" was being considered at Darling Harbour, but that details were not available at the time of writing. Other options under consideration included new ferry services and a shuttle rail service to a new passenger station near the Powerhouse Museum. TNT's monorail proposal won formal cabinet selection in October 1985.
The first test services ran in October 1987 on a 500-metre section at Darling Harbour. Initially operated by TNT Harbourlink, the monorail opened on 21 July 1988 after a construction period of 26 months. The monorail was originally due to be completed by January 1988, to celebrate the Australian Bicentenary. TNT Harbourlink was awarded a 50-year concession until 2038.
The original operation hours were to be 06:00 to midnight, but after two years of operation patronage counts were half those expected, and planned stations at Market Street (to be named Casino, as part of the gaming venue planned to be built on the site) and Harbour Street (to be named Gardenside) were not built for some time.
After TNT was purchased by PTT in January 1997 and merged to form TNT Post Group in 1998, TNT decided to dispose of its businesses not centred on mail and logistics services, including the Sydney monorail. On 10 August 1998, TNT sold the monorail to CGEA Transport Sydney, which was owned by CGEA Transport (later renamed Connex, then Veolia Transport) (51%) and Australian Infrastructure Fund (19%), Utilities Trust of Australia (19%) and Legal & General (11%). The latter three also owned the Sydney Light Rail Company (SLRC), which owned the Metro Light Rail (now Sydney Light Rail) on a 30.5 year concession since 1997 by the Government of New South Wales. Connex (renamed from CGEA Transport in 1999) sold its share of the monorail in early 2001 to the SLRC, but remained as the operator of the monorail. As a result, SLRC owned both the monorail and light rail and combined with CGEA Transport to form Metro Transport Sydney.
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Sydney Monorail
The Sydney Monorail (originally TNT Harbourlink and later Metro Monorail) was a single-loop monorail in Sydney, that connected Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the Sydney central business and shopping districts. It opened on 21 July 1988 and closed on 30 June 2013.
There were eight stations on the 3.6-kilometre (2.237 mi) loop, with up to six trains operating simultaneously. It served major attractions and facilities such as the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Aquarium and Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. The system was operated by Veolia Transport Sydney, a former subsidiary of Veolia Transport and a subsidiary of Veolia Transdev at the time of cessation.
As part of the redevelopment of 50 ha (123.553 acres) of land at Darling Harbour, it was proposed to build a transport link to the Sydney central business district. Sydney City Council preferred a light rail line, however in November 1985 Transport Minister Laurie Brereton announced a monorail would be built.
Before November 1984, the consultants Pak-Poy & Kneebone Pty. Ltd. were engaged by the Ministry of Transport and the Public Works Department "to assess the physical and financial feasibility of new light rail systems in the Sydney Central Business District". The assessment was "with particular application to the Darling Harbour Re-Development" but included possible extension to other locations.
In "early 1985" the Darling Harbour Authority received more than 20 expressions of interest for a proposed people mover. The monorail was hinted at in the August 1985 Glebe Island Arterial (Anzac Bridge) Environmental Impact Statement before the public announcement. It stated a "people mover" was being considered at Darling Harbour, but that details were not available at the time of writing. Other options under consideration included new ferry services and a shuttle rail service to a new passenger station near the Powerhouse Museum. TNT's monorail proposal won formal cabinet selection in October 1985.
The first test services ran in October 1987 on a 500-metre section at Darling Harbour. Initially operated by TNT Harbourlink, the monorail opened on 21 July 1988 after a construction period of 26 months. The monorail was originally due to be completed by January 1988, to celebrate the Australian Bicentenary. TNT Harbourlink was awarded a 50-year concession until 2038.
The original operation hours were to be 06:00 to midnight, but after two years of operation patronage counts were half those expected, and planned stations at Market Street (to be named Casino, as part of the gaming venue planned to be built on the site) and Harbour Street (to be named Gardenside) were not built for some time.
After TNT was purchased by PTT in January 1997 and merged to form TNT Post Group in 1998, TNT decided to dispose of its businesses not centred on mail and logistics services, including the Sydney monorail. On 10 August 1998, TNT sold the monorail to CGEA Transport Sydney, which was owned by CGEA Transport (later renamed Connex, then Veolia Transport) (51%) and Australian Infrastructure Fund (19%), Utilities Trust of Australia (19%) and Legal & General (11%). The latter three also owned the Sydney Light Rail Company (SLRC), which owned the Metro Light Rail (now Sydney Light Rail) on a 30.5 year concession since 1997 by the Government of New South Wales. Connex (renamed from CGEA Transport in 1999) sold its share of the monorail in early 2001 to the SLRC, but remained as the operator of the monorail. As a result, SLRC owned both the monorail and light rail and combined with CGEA Transport to form Metro Transport Sydney.
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