Chester Zoo’s monorail is welcoming its final passengers today.
The iconic attraction will be decommissioned at the end of the day after serving Chester Zoo for 28 years, reports the MEN .
The monorail has taken guests on an aerial journey around the animal park, allowing a bird-eye view of the habitats and gardens.
The zoo announced earlier this year that the monorail would close for good , after bosses said the system ‘doesn’t even cover half’ of the 125 acres of the tourist attraction.
A zoo spokesperson said the monorail, which has carried famous visitors including Her Majesty the Queen and Gary Barlow, 'no longer fits [the] vision for a world-class modern zoo'.
Plans are already in place for a major new attraction called 'Grasslands' at the site of the monorail.
Based on the African Savannah, the project is expected to be completed and ready for opening in 2022.
It will allow visitors to come face-to-face with creatures in a specially designed indoor habitat.
Grasslands will not feature a monorail, but will instead have a centrepiece consisting of a large, open area - similar to that found on the African plains.
It is expected to house a range of animals including giraffes and zebras, as well as a restaurant offering balcony views across the savannah.
The monorail will take its final voyage around Chester Zoo just before the zoo closes at 5pm on September 3, 2019.
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