Ask the Memphian: Why did Memphis build a monorail?
A dormant monorail sits at Mud Island on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
The two monorail cars strapped to a bridge over the Mississippi River haven’t actually moved more than a few inches since 2018.
And, due to cost, changing times and other factors, it’s unlikely they’ll ever move again, unless it’s to the junkyard.
But the story of how the City of Memphis came up with a monorail system that ran, at least in spurts, for 37 years is a fascinating tale that has its roots in the Jet Age and the Space Age that followed, in the pursuit of something sleek and futuristic, in the desire to make the city gleam and shine.
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.
Topics
Mud Island monorail Mississippi River The Firm Ask the Memphian Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Jody Callahan
Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.