The monorail was hailed for many years, specifically the general era of 1950-1969, as a shiny, mysterious symbol of a technological future. The use of a sleek monorail as the
rapid transit system for
Disneyworld's
Tomorrowland and
EPCOT Center was no doubt instrumental in forwarding that idea, as well as the
Seattle monorail which was built for the 1962
World's Fair.
But along with videophones, jetcars, and inflated-balloon polyurethane houses, the monorail is now, in most modern people's eyes, a piece of ironically outdated technology, which has been surpassed by new wonders like maglev trains or by improvements on more down-to-earth systems like subways and inline light rail. It has been ridiculed in a famous episode of The Simpsons as well as cheekily derided in an early-80s song by Buggles.