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After nearly four decades of carrying well over a million riders, Zoo Miami’s “Zoofari” monorail system has been permanently decommissioned.
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 that had been used at the World’s Fair in New Orleans. Severely damaged during Hurricane Andrew in 1992, it took several months to make the repairs necessary for it to be back online.
The system was especially popular in the summer months when it provided relief from the heat in its air-conditioned cars, as well as a welcomed lift over nearly four miles of walkways.
Unfortunately, the original manufacturer went out of business and replacement parts became unavailable. In 1987, one of the trains became utilized for parts to keep the others running. However, over time, it became cost-prohibitive to maintain the trains in safe running condition and the difficult decision was made to permanently decommission the system.
Removing the monorail and track will be a costly endeavor. However, it will be considerably less expensive than trying to keep the outdated system running with no source of replacements parts.
It is hoped that deconstruction can begin at the end of the year but there will need to be a series of reviews and approvals before work can actually start.
Although the monorail no longer is 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. In addition, special VIP golf cart tours are available by reservation online and through the group sales department.
