Sydney monorail makes its last loop after 25 years of service Sydney Monorail celebrates it's final day of service. LONG regarded as the ugly duckling of the Sydney's transport network, the monorail hit peak popularity levels yesterday with 1500 people vying to be a part of its last ride through the city yesterday. A competition held by Transport NSW for the lucky 48 on the monorail's last ride after 25 years of service attracted 1500 entries, taking Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian by surprise. The doomed Sydney Monorail which will be decommissioned soon, passing George Street in front of Queen Victoria Building. Picture: Craig Greenhill Source: The Daily Telegraph The system will be dismantled at a cost of between $10 million and $15 million. "The dismantling will start in August," Ms Berejiklian said. (But) we are going to preserve 10m of track and two carriages. Helen Roberts, from Lilyfield, said her children Sam, 8, and Tom, 7, relished the last day of rides and even asked a friend, Leo, 8, to come along with them. "I think they were just enjoying the fact that it was the last ride," Ms Roberts, 44, said. The Sydney Monorail's final ride took place ar 9.30pm last night. For Michael Sweeney, last night's final loop was the perfect bookend for his close association with the Monorail. He was a passenger on the Monorail's first day of operation in 1988 and used it for commuting into the city from his Ultimo home for years. The number of people catching Sydney's unloved monorail is increasing as it's finals day of operation nears.Patronage this month is up 15 per cent on the same period last year. Picture: Fastier Braden Source: The Daily Telegraph A lot of people hated it, but I just loved it from day one. There were a lot of people protesting, saying that it ruin the amenity of the city and drop oil on people below, but for me, I was from the generation that grew up with Lost In Space, and Star Trek, and this was futuristic, and it was great," he said. I'm sad to see it go, but it probably has reached its day. Among the rail aficionados, admirers and former workers who won a spot on the final loop that left the Darling Park platform at 9.30pm last night, were a handful of kids getting their last Monorail fix. Cooper MacIntyre had travelled on the rail once a month in the past year. He loves it. He lives opposite a train line, so he likes trains and planes. He is quite excited and thinks he's quite a special boy going on the last one," dad Phillip said. I wished everyone used it like they are using it now. It is going to be missed by not only people in Sydney, but tourists who come and stay.