The route of a proposed monorail for Brighton and Hove has been revealed.

The futuristic transport system is planned to link Brighton Marina to Shoreham harbour under a multimillion-pound scheme.

The trains would connect the marina, Palace Pier, Brighton Centre, King Alfred, Shoreham harbour and Shoreham airport.

The first phase is estimated to cost £20 million, half of which would be provided by the monorail constructors, and connect Brighton Marina with the Brighton Centre, via the Palace Pier.

A second phase would extend the service to Shoreham airport and is seen as key to the redevelopment of Shoreham harbour.

Trains would glide along the track at just under 40mph, linking the marina to the pier in three minutes.

The team behind the bid has held a series of meetings with Brighton and Hove City Council and the South East England Development Agency (Seeda).

The scheme was sidelined in 2005 under the previous Labour administration, with both the council and developer blaming each other.

Instead, proposals for a bus-based transport scheme, which will run along a similar route, have been pursued.

However, Conservative councillors and James Brathwaite, chairman of Seeda, have expressed support for the project.

Seeda believes a monorail could unlock the huge development potential at Shoreham port, which is earmarked for up to 10,000 homes.

Developer David Courtney, who is behind the plans, said he had yet to receive firm backing from the council but is to make a presentation to senior figures in the next two weeks.

He said: "To get the investment, we need to show the support of the council.

"People are very, very positive about the scheme.

"The scheme has to work in line with the buses but Brighton Marina needs the monorail like Canary Wharf needed the Docklands Light Railway. If we are going to build in Brighton Marina, Black Rock and Shoreham harbour we need a monorail even more.

"With the Government calling for sustainable transport and the price of oil so high, a monorail is the answer."

Unlike many monorails, the scheme will not involve tracks raised into the sky and is likely to run near the Volk's Railway.

Mr Courtney estimates it would run until 3am at the weekend and carry 1.6 million return passengers a year.

He plans to produce a feasibility study for the full route once council backing has been secured.

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