Monorail, monorail, monorail!

Gfgbeach

My vision for the future of Townsville includes a monorail.

I want a whole elevated rail network,  but I specifically want monorail connecting the island to the mainland. Not one of those dorky circular monorails like Sydney used to have,  which only went in one direction so you wouldn't bother taking it if you wanted to go to the stop behind you.  This would be a point-to-point monorail that goes back and forth between Picnic Bay,  Cape Palaranda and some place near Kissing Point. There will probably be a couple of stops along the way, as well.

If possible, you'd set it back from the coast-line so that people on the monorail could get a good view of the beaches, but people on the beaches wouldn't have their eye-line ruined by a monorail.

Now, ideally, I'd like to see this meet up with a stop on the greater elevated rail network: a simple, but well designed light rail network crisscrossing the city at first-floor level. Stops would be located at every major shopping center and landmark (like the hospital and the university),with other stops at regular intervals along the way.

So, in theory, you could take the "sky tram" from the uni to the Nathan Street interchange (handily located adjacent to Stockland's roof-top car park), switch to the line that goes to Kissing  Point, and then catch the monorail to the island.

The great thing about an elevated network is it could be erected over existing roads, streets and drains. We have a lot of open space running throughout the city for storm drainage, and an elevated rail network will be able to take advantage of those spaces without impeding the flood waters too badly.

Part of my vision involves making sure that the monorail and the trams used for the network are pretty. I don't want some ugly, utilitarian looking eyesore spreading over the city.  Make the rail network a feature of the town, so that the tourist love looking at it as much as the locals love using it.

So, vote one, Sharon B, because a vote for Sharon is a vote for monorails.