Minirail
| Company type | Transit system |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Fate | Discontinued and dismantled (final removal in 2022) |
| Headquarters | Montreal , Canada |
| Products | Driverless monorail transit system |
The Minirail was a driverless monorail transit system operating on Saint Helen's and Notre Dame islands in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Originally constructed for the 1967 World's Fair (Expo 67), it remained in use during the subsequent Man and his World exhibition. The network consisted of three separate loops utilizing two distinct train models: the larger "Blue" circuit on Notre Dame Island and two smaller "Yellow" circuits located at the northern and southern ends of Saint Helen's Island.
The main routes were discontinued in the 1970s and 1980s, followed shortly by their dismantling. Nevertheless, the "Yellow" loop at La Ronde on the northern tip continued operating for more than five decades until its ultimate removal in 2022.
Routes
The central "Blue" Minirail line on Notre Dame Island included a minor crossover loop on Saint Helen's Island. Additionally, two smaller "Yellow" loops functioned independently at opposite ends of Saint Helen's Island. The system featured a minimum curve radius of and could handle grades up to 10%.
Notre Dame Island (Blue)
(1967–1973) The more extensive Blue Minirail route covered with six stops distributed among four stations: Metro, Canada, Theme, and Agriculture—the latter two being served twice. Elevated as high as , the line also traversed water near the Québec Pavilion, descending to within of the St. Lawrence River’s surface. The path connected several prominent pavilions including Ontario and the iconic geodesic dome housing the U.S. Pavilion. A segment extended onto Saint Helen's Island to link with both the Metro station and the southern Yellow Minirail circuit.
Conceived by Swiss company Maschinenfabrik Habegger and constructed by the Dominion Bridge Company, the track comprised twin × "I" beams spaced apart, mounted on A-frame supports at intervals of , reduced to in curved sections. Despite the park’s closure two years earlier, the Blue Minirail operated until late 1973; however, stations were shuttered during this time, with boarding restricted solely to the Metro station on Saint Helen's Island. The line ceased operation by the end of the 1973 season, and its infrastructure was removed in the mid-1970s to facilitate construction of the 1976 Summer Olympics rowing basin.
Saint Helen's Island (Yellow)
(1967-1981) The Yellow Minirail loop on Saint Helen's Island ran a circuit at the island’s southern end, servicing two stations: Metro and Place des nation. This line provided connections to the Metro, Blue Minirail, and Expo Express. Passing over Swan Lake, this route was discontinued alongside the closure of Saint Helen's Island’s Man and His World section in late 1981 and was dismantled during the mid-1980s.
La Ronde (Yellow)
(1967-2019) Situated at the northern end of Saint Helen's Island, La Ronde’s Yellow Minirail operated independently from other lines. It followed a loop around the amusement park, passing landmarks such as the Marina and running between Dolphin Lake and the Saint Lawrence River. The two stations on this route were Fort Edmonton (previously named Pioneerland) and Village. In the mid-1980s, a portion of track behind the Alcan aquarium was removed to make way for Aqua Park development, slightly reducing its length. This line remained active until service ended in 2019 after more than five decades of operation; its demolition in November 2022 marked the final removal of any Expo 67 Minirail remnants.
Blue
The Blue Minirail consisted of cars painted blue with white roofs and doors. Each open-style car accommodated up to 12 passengers. A complete train comprised nine cars: a front car with seating for three, seven intermediate cars, and a rear car.
Yellow
The Yellow Minirails derived their name from the color of their canopies. On each route, twelve trains with 16 cars each operated, providing seating for 60 passengers along the track. Originally designed by Habegger and manufactured in 1964 for the Swiss National Exhibition in Lausanne, these trains were later modified from manual operator control to fully automatic operation for Expo 67. Additional rolling stock was acquired from Von Roll Seilbahnen AG to replace units sold to Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
These Yellow Minirails traveled on outward-facing "C"-shaped rails measuring × , spaced apart and supported by A-frame structures. Both Yellow loops were constructed by Mojan Ltée.
Around the year 2000, when Six Flags Corporation assumed management of La Ronde, the yellow canopies were replaced with aqua-green ones, and snack food advertisements were added to each Minirail car.