The Merry Hill monorail was iconic.
Although it was short-lived, it certainly bagged a place in the Black Country’s history books.
It cost a whopping £22 million to construct and work took place alongside the final phase of the shopping complex between 1988 and 1989.
However health and safety concerns meant it did not open until 19 months after the centre was complete, making its inaugural trip on June 1, 1991.
There were four stations – Boulevard, Waterfront East, Central Station and Times Square – and plans were in the pipeline to create a fifth called Waterfront West.
But in 1992, the system was temporarily closed and a combination of technical problems and safety concerns saw it shut for good four years later.
The monorail was broken up in 1996 and sold to a shopping centre in Queensland, Australia – but the main station is still preserved above Marks and Spencer inside the Brierley Hill mall, complete with turnstiles, signage and platforms.
Video Unavailable
But although the monorail is long gone, it hasn’t been forgotten as people have been sharing their fond memories on social media.
“Used to go to Merry Hill in Dudley in the 90s to ride about on the monorail for hours while my mum went shopping,” one Twitter user said.
A second added: “Remember Merry Hill being so much better when the monorail and the Warner Brothers store was around.”
“My nan would often take me to Merry Hill just to go on the monorail,” said a third.
Another suggested t-shirts should be made with ‘I rode the Merry Hill monorail’ on.
The monorail “always felt quite futuristic” according to another user.
“Some of my earliest memories are of riding the Merry Hill monorail,” chipped in another.
“It’s a shame it proved to be unreliable/unviable.”
