WDW - Monorail System
Hey, what happens when they need to evacuate a monorail train? Are there roll-up ladders? What if a train caught fire???
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"Know thyself!"
There is an issue of breakdowns of the monorail. Obviously, other trains just can't pass by. There are monorail tow-trucks, for lack of a better word, but when there is a breakdown it significantly hurts the system.
Obviously, the Magic Kindom loop has two tracks so they can divert to the resort line (or vice versa) or people could take the boat. Also busses/trams have the ability to drive up to the Magic Kingdom gate.
When the Epcot line breaks down that is another matter. It is bus transportation and that is about it.
Dave makes a good point that the flow of guests between parks might ultimately determine the expansion of the system but I've got to say that I often park at Epcot and ride to TTC and on to Magic Kingdom and there is rarely a wait to board that monorail.
Park hopping is probably the choice for Fla residents and guests of Cast Members but I don't think it is hugely popular as of yet.
Hey, if they expand the monorail in the near future you can all say "I told you so" and I will be thrilled none-the-less.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Better hope the track isn't too high up.
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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
I did some research and was sure I had read something somewhat official in a Disney Cast Member newsletter (Eyes and Ears).
In 1998 Malcolm Ross, Vice President of Disney-MGM stated a transportation master plan would reduce the park's reliance on buses, but he stopped short of confirming unofficial reports that the company plans to invest $800 million to $1 billion in expanding the monorail. "We're looking at expanding them, be we also have four or five other systems we're looking at", Ross said.
I am certain one of the other systems was light rail.
Doesn't anyone know the value of a buck these days (no 10-10-220 jokes, please).
EDIT: BTW I meant you'd be screwed if you were inside the monorail and it caught fire. 1.) You'd have to jump for it, and 2.) Disney would cover it up.
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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
*** This post was edited by General Public 3/5/2003 4:34:07 PM ***
Not on your life my good friend!
Monorail. Whats it called?
Monorail! Say again?
MONORAIL!
Please Stand Clear of the doors.
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I don't care what anyone says, Magnum is better then Millenium Force.
*** This post was edited by Touchdown 3/5/2003 4:54:15 PM ***
They are talking over a billion dollars right now just for the leg of this new high-speed transit that would run from Tampa to Orlando.
the system should be look at as a "public" good rather than a private one
Yeah, except for the fact that it lies entirely inside the Mouse House. There is no way in the world that this decision is made for anything other than economic reasons. WDW may be part of our cultural fabric, but I'm not ready to call it a public good just yet.
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http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~bnoble/
But precast concrete beams and cast in place supports aren't expensive. And Disney already owns the land.
And Disney knows monorails don't directly produce revenue (i.e. no fares). That's why they would be treated as a "public" good. They also make getting around less of a hassle for guests though.
The reason the cost is so high for the Florida high speed train (and Eurostar, and TGV, and the Japanese Shinskansen) is because it's so complex. Building monorail track is a walk in the park (no pun intended) compared to constructing a high speed rail corridor.
It's not that expensive! Whether they expand it or not is another question.
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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
But Animal Kingdom would be a problem. It's too far away. Even from Ticket/Transportation Center it would probably be between 45 minutes to an hour round-trip -- meaning you would have to stock about 4 or 5 monorails to have a departure every 10 minutes or so -- and all for a park that closes at 5pm on some days.
The bus system is terrible. It's probably one of the biggest arguments for staying off-property. But Disney is too wrapped up in producing near-term results to put up with the capital expenditures it would take to make a full monorail circuit happen.
Maybe if Orlando builds the light-rail from the airport to Disney, Disney will feel the need to keep it all on rails, but I don't think it'll happen in this lifetime.
mutly23 said:
Millions of dollars, will Disney spend?Not on your life my good friend!
Monorail. Whats it called?
Monorail! Say again?
MONORAIL!
Somebody watches too much Simpsons...that was song by Lyle Lanley on the show i believe?
Anyways, as many have said, the monorail expansion would be good, but it isnt neccessary. On a recent visit to Disney (about 3 weeks ago) me and my family had this discussion while riding a monorail. It just isnt neccessary. Animal Kingdom is pretty far off, and guests who cant seem to drive can take the monorail to EPCOT and ride the boat over to MGM. Also, every resort/park has bus service, or some kind of transportation to get you to and from the parks. I think Disney is set for a while. Besides, you can always take the existing monorail to the Ticket and Transportation center and take a bus/boat/another monorail to where you want to go. Also remember, other problems would arise. You would have to build a whole new section to the ticket and transportation center for an MGM/Animal Kingdom monorail line or they would have to close down one of the existing lines to connect it to the track, which would make things worse. Besides, Monorails operate much in the same way as coasters in terms of stacking and such. A monorail wont arive at the station unless the one ahead of it is gone, or it will stack, keeping people waiting. Imagine what this would do if an extension to say Animal Kingdom were added to the line. Major Stacking....
The bottom line and point im trying to make is that with Project Gemini, other plans for WDW, and with the transportation system pretty well handled as it is, I dont think Disney needs to invest time, money, and manhours expanding the monorail system right now.
Thank you for reading.
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RACE FOR THE SKY!!
TOP THRILL DRAGSTER
If they did want to make money off it they could make all non-hotel guests pay like $2 for a "monorail pass" to let them ride it. That could really add up.
But I also heard it costs $1000 an hour to run one monorail so that may be a problem.
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"Scream early because once you reach 420 feet, no one will hear you!"-TOP THRILL DRAGSTER
Cedar Point RCT2 recreation-coming early March 2003
Its a swamp and if you take too much water out of the swamp, the land collapse (AKA as a sinkhole). Some parts of WDW are sinkholes naturally (ever pictured a resort between Comtemporary and TTC? Keep picturing cause that's a pretty nasty sinkhole. The Magic Kingdom tunnels are actually the first floor... they built the tunnel first, then used the dirt from the digging of Seven Seas Lagoon to the recover the tunnels. Then, all of MK was built, with the Castle and Fantasyland being the third floor. That way, you kept the balance of the sponge.
Now, for that reason, your 1/4 of a mile could fetch up a nasty price, cause if you're not careful, you could create a sinkhole.
P.S.: On New Year's Eve, the EPCOT monorail didn't work its seems for a while. A major nightmare I heard.
Absimilliard said:
Some parts of WDW are sinkholes naturally (ever pictured a resort between Comtemporary and TTC? Keep picturing cause that's a pretty nasty sinkhole.
What about the hotel themed to the Old Faithful Lodge if my memory is correct that is right in that spot. Also I would like to point out that bus service (at least when I went in 98) depended on what hotel you were staying at. While I saw huge lines all the time for the "economy" resort hotels my family and I only had to wait one bus max the whole trip because we were staying at Key West. And at least for the pricier resort hotels I dont see the monorail helping move traffic.
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I don't care what anyone says, Magnum is better then Millenium Force.
Fixing a "sinkhole" is not an obstacle when you are going to build something with a significant Return On Investment. The City I live in was built entirely on what used to be the Everglades and none of the 55,000 residents has had their home sink.
I have seen someone draw up some plans that would extend a canal from D-MGM to AK for boat transportation. Actually, it might have been from the back of Epcot. Anyway, that is one idea that might have a future.
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