Monorails of Oceania
Oasis-Jupiter, Broadbeach
Four-car monorail trains run between the Grand Mercure Hotel, Oasis Shopping Centre and Jupiter Casino. The Von Roll Type III system is actually a bit of overkill for the needs of the three station system. At one point in the late 1980's it was planned to be part of a much larger 10 km system that was to run up and down the heavily travelled Gold Coast corridor. That was killed by funding problems and resident opposition. The Gold Coast today continues to suffer with the congestion created by well over 2 million visitors to the area each year. A unique aspect of this monorail is that the Oasis Mall it enters was designed with the system in mind. At one point the trains quietly cruise right through a large atrium of the mall. See Environment Friendly for more pictures. In 2001, the owners of the system acquired the trains and track of the short-lived Merry Hill Centre Monorail of Birmingham, England. The trains will be used to upgrade the system and there is a possibility for extending the monorail to a proposed convention center nearby. |