Retro pictures show how Sheffield's futuristic monorail would have looked
Forget Supertram – in the 1970s a futuristic monorail system worthy of a science fiction novel was proposed in Sheffield city centre.
By Richard Blackledge
Published 14th Feb 2020, 16:24 BST
Updated 17th Feb 2020, 13:45 BST
The Minitram would have been a driverless, automated network, involving the use of small cars each carrying around 15 passengers.
In Sheffield, the monorail would have connected the city’s shopping areas, operating on two-and-a-half kilometres of track with nine stations.
Thousands went to look at the blueprints in a public exhibition at Cole Brothers, which is now John Lewis – but the scheme was abandoned in 1975.
Parts of the Minitram route re-emerged in Sheffield’s modern tramway. However, these artist’s impressions and photos show how the revolutionary Government-backed monorail would have looked.
Thousands went to look at the blueprints in a public exhibition at Cole Brothers, which is now John Lewis – but the scheme was abandoned in 1975.
5. Fears over scheme's impact
There were also questions over the route, which followed the shuttle journey taken by the old Clipper bus. Many people were also appalled at the thought of a large track being elevated in mid-air in front of the Town Hall and the City Hall. Photo: Sheffield Newspapers Limited
The monorail would have glided noiselessly on five-metre stilts, travelling from the Midland railway station, above the Hole in the Road and up to Fargate before heading down The Moor. This image shows the monorail's guideway over Commercial Street. Photo: Sheffield Newspapers Limited
The Sheffield Minitram exhibition opened in Cole Brothers (now John Lewis). This picture shows a model car and a length of track with posters in the background. Photo: Sheffield Newspapers Limited
The project was cancelled by the Government in 1975. No system was built anywhere in the country - and in 1994 Sheffield became one of the first UK cities to have a modern tram network instead. Photo: Sheffield Newspapers Limited