Sydney monorail derailed by poor polling

Consistently low approval ratings and poor patronage have finally brought down Sydney’s troubled monorail.

The monorail has divided Sydneysiders since it was installed and has had to deal with relentless opposition from anti-monorail groups and other forms of public transport.

While deeply unpopular, many have applauded the monorail’s determination to go round and round in a loop through Sydney’s inner city.

“While I had a lot of issues with the monorail, you have to admire its one-track mind and steely determination to keep going round despite all the criticism,” said one Sydney resident.

The monorail will be replaced by a light rail network. Trams have long plotted to make a return to Sydney streets and have consistently ranked higher in commuter preference surveys. The final blow for the monorail came when Bill Shorten said he preferred trams to the monorail after all.

However, the entire move may be moot, with Highways NSW promising to pave Sydney Harbour to create more parking spaces and to turn the CBD into an on-ramp.

The demise of the monorail has many wondering if Australia was really ready for a monorail.

“Sydney likes to think of itself as a world-class city like Brockway, Ogdenville or North Haverbrook (and/or Springfield),” said one public transport analyst. “But in the end, too many people were deeply uncomfortable with having a rail that was different.”