Another 'Outdated' Monorail Bites the Dust

First, the pylons of Sydney’s monorail came tumbling down. Now, the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, MN has shuttered its aging monorail for good.

The troubled traincars took their last loop around the zoo campus on September 2, and now the zoo has announced the line won’t run ever again.

“It was an outdated system that had reached the end of its useful life,” spokeswoman Kelly Lessard told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Back in 2011, the train stalled, leaving passengers stranded 18 feet above ground. Firefighters rescued them with ladders when they couldn’t get the monorail running again.

Maintenance on a 34-year-old system was certainly an issue. But the biggest problem with the zoo monorail was that it didn’t have any stops along its route. Instead, it looped around the zoo, and those on board could only catch glimpses of animals as it drove past.

As you might expect, not many people paid the extra $4 to ride the monorail when they could spend that time looking at exhibits on foot. In fact, only 15 percent of zoo visitors boarded the tram, a number that fell every year, according to the Star-Tribune. The monorail had lost more than $100,000 each year since 2009, and ridership would have to increase dramatically to break even.

So, the fate of the Minnesota Zoo Monorail was sealed: Closure. The traincars were put up for auction, but only one sold. The other seventeen are being stored. For now, the tracks still stand, but it’s unlikely they’ll survive any future renovations.

If you missed your chance to ride the monorail, enjoy a video of the monorail’s loop, complete with the boarding process and narration from a naturalist.

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/c/35185/f/661370/s/3289b26a/sc/8/l/0L0Swired0N0Cautopia0C20A130C10A0Cminnesota0Ezoo0Emonorail0C/story01.htm
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