Sydney Monorail opening

Who remembers the short-lived Sydney monorail? Wracked by controversy before and after its launch on 21 July 1988, the ‘people-mover’ came under fire from protesters with environmental, architectural and civic concerns. This clip from a Seven Nightly News story shows it opening with subdued fanfare: a creaky curtain ceremony, a half-hearted release of balloons. 

Even on its first day, problems arose that had nothing to do with the protesters scowling below the track. Reporter Steve Barnes explains: operators TNT had announced that the dollar-a-ride fare would be waived for the monorail’s first weeks. But they hadn’t anticipated the crowds it would attract, or the refusal of the lucky first passengers to vacate the carriages for the people waiting in long queues.  

Unfortunately for TNT, the novelty soon wore off. Tourists enjoyed the monorail, but the city never fully embraced it, and it closed in 2013.