MIAMI (CBSMiami) – After nearly 40 years of carrying more than riders, Zoo Miami has retired its monorail system.
Opened in 1982, the system originally consisted of three trains that provided elevated transportation around the zoo on 2.2 miles of steel track. In 1987, two additional trains were added.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew severely damaged the system and it took several months to make the repairs necessary for it to be back online.
Zoo Miami said that unfortunately the original manufacturer went out of business and replacement parts are no longer unavailable.
(Source: Zoo Miami)
In 1987, the zoo started using one of the trains for parts to keep the others running. However, over time, it became cost-prohibitive to maintain the trains in safe running condition, so zoo officials made the difficult decision to permanently decommission the system.
Though the monorail is no longer operational, Zoo Miami has other sources of transportation available within the park including regular tram tours as well as safari cycle rentals. Additional trams will be added in the near future.