The Merry Hill Monorail - Part 2

The second of two films which show the monorail which used to be at the Merry Hill shopping centre / retail park in the West Midlands and linked it with the nearby Waterfront area.

The monorail opened in 1991 but only operated until 1996, and in 2001 was shipped off to Australia.

The footage used in this film was taken over several visits, plus there are a few comparative scenes (only still images) which were sourced in April 2010.

The Merry Hill site is a former steel works and comprises of a large shopping centre plus several stand-alone retail units at various locations within the larger retail park. The monorail linked some of the peripheral retail units (Boulevard) with two stations serving the shopping centre (Times Square & Central Station) and one at an offsite location nearby (Waterfront East) where there was also a large overflow car park. The original plans included extending the monorail within the Waterfront area, with a terminus at a fifth station (Waterfront West), and then even further in to the West Midlands area, but none of these plans came to pass.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Merry
• Hill
• Monorail
• Dudley
• Brierley
• train
• rail
• railway
• Waterfront
• West
• Midlands
• England

[KRPTV]

As a child I went on this everytime we went to Merry Hill. I'd love to know what is actually inside the disused station above Marks and Spencers now, and why they knocked all the other stations down apart from that one.

[citytransportinfo]

@KRPTV Hi there - why not write / email and ask the people who own the shopping centre.

You could even tell them that you say this video! I don't know what they will say...

Simon

[040train]

i dont remember this running, just the abandoned track. looks like the midland metro will be extending from wednesbury to merry hill now

[citytransportinfo]

@040train

The Midland Metro extended? Pigs will fly. The treasury has been actively trying to stifle this tramway since even before it was built. Despite the pre-election promises I bet its funding will be cut after the election.

[ettolrahc1501]

I think that it may be of more use now, seeing as many more people shop there... I often struggle to find a parking place.

[mildredsmittens]

My memory of the tram was it being mostly empty (which was nice of course), clean, but pointless and ill thought out. Often there seemed to be more staff manning the stations and tram than passengers. It didn't help that the line went nowhere and ended on a car park half a mile away. I think there were plans to extend the line to Dudley through Brierley Hill but fear that more shoppers would be drawn away from the towns, emergency exit doubts and cost combined to seal the monorails early demise.

[mildredsmittens]

I had a friend that worked as a security guard there up until 2005. I asked him about the disused station and he said it's used for storage. Anything that can go up in the lift they take up there. The turn stiles are still up there apparently. The management should incorporate it somehow. The views from up there might suit a restaurant but I think the main stairs have gone so access is difficult. It's all about that little word cost - the thing that closed the monorail down in the first place!

[tonimusher]

I'm sure i remember this leading into the Phillias Fogg area, with the big balloon in it... ahh those were the days x

[Southpaw1985]

@KRPTV Hi. I used to work for Argos next door to Marks and Spencer. We had a leak one new year and had to access the roof. Before the still front entrance was built you could see right into the station. It was simply empty with what appeared to be number of boxes. Presumably storage. Then again that was around 7/8 years ago. The station can be accessed still from the lift once the overide is adjusted and also from the side entrance which is through a fire escape next to M & S on way in.

[notlob444]

I remember going on the monorail as a young man ...looking back now, this new travel mode in the black country was a bit like The Public is now .. Years will pass before we all forget about this long lost monarail ... love the two vidios....oh for got to say that when i worked on british rail i often went into merry hill (round oak then ) in my job

;>)

[djclewes]

just seen on google that its franky and bens bar where the bulivard station was not a golf store and they knocked the station down and just re built the franky and bens. it wont let me add the link on here though

[djclewes]

i didnt know the golf shop was the old monorail station it looks so diffrent im 25 now so its been gone a good 14yr which only seems like a few yrs ago to me. my old school was built right opposite marks and spencers next to the steal works and i used to love watching it go round on our breaks. i think it shut down cause of break downs health and safety and funding. i think the plan was to fund it by advertising. i wish they would bring it back cause who knows it might take off. its on facebook