News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[RobbinsDad]

I'm reading thru this and while it sounds interesting, it's also a bit odd.
The cost factor seems like it would be appealing to Disney, but there are several factors that make me wonder how just how well it will actually work. Here's a few thoughts/concerns off the top of my head:
1) Special Access - wheel chairs, ecvs, etc. - No transportation system at Disney will work without a great deal of consideration given for special access needs.
2) Storms - lightning, wind - These occur frequently in Central Florida. How well will a system such as this handle them?
3) Emergency evac in case of failure - How will evacuations be handled when the system fails? The number of potentially stranded vehicles in a power failure could put a real stress on emergency services to respond quickly.
4) Security - How will access to these be handled? Will there be security screenings prior to boarding or from controlled points?

All of these will have to be addressed I'm sure, but they are used in many other parts of the world where the same conditions (or worse) exist.

 

[Clamman73]

It'd be cool if these are routable.

Let's say they've expanded the system to hit other resorts and DAK...

You get on a CBR and push a button on a screen that says, "DAK". You then start heading that way and when you get to the DHS stop, you just get skirted off to a different track and route around it picking it back up the other side without stopping. It seems doable. The mechanics to load/unload a car from the current cable/track are already there, you'd just need the switching to be automated.

Will this be like a Horizons thing...majority rules.

 

[Princess Leia]

I'm starting to wonder if MyMagic+ will end up having a role in all of this (someone correct me if this is already being done). Scan your MagicBand or card on the bus/boat/monorail/gondola, and Disney will track which forms of transportation is most popular at what times, at what destinations, and with which types of guests.

 

[zakattack99]

An update on "that other site"... looks like he did not take to kindly to people calling him out on stealing info... their comments have been deleted.

 

[deeevo]

Here it is

View attachment 189791

Well this made way to much sense.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

I don't think hurricane winds really matter. You wouldn't be running them in hurricanes, they'd all just be parked at the stations. The cable should be fine as it's plenty heavy and plenty thick.

I'm talking about the towers.

 

[Disorbust]

http://www.inquisitr.com/3983345/pe...rtation-system-at-disney-world-skyway-return/


Now on Facebook

 

[floridaeit]

Here it is

View attachment 189791

This is awesome! I love learning about old ideas that never quite came to fruition. That's an interesting place to connect to the Epcot line. The Disney Monorail System was what first peaked my interest in transportation engineering. It would have been great to see the system expanded, but I know money prohibits just about everything.

In regard to everything else in this thread: I'm mostly just happy to see them considering new transportation options on property. Busses are great, but the technology is antiquated. I really hope they are able to expand this system throughout the entire property. Starting in this area would make a great presentation for the 50th though.

 

[FigmentFan3]

Here it is

View attachment 189791

 

[floridaeit]

I'm talking about the towers.

The towers will be designed with footers large enough to handle extreme wind events. You should see what's in the ground for the monorail piers.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

The towers will be designed with footers large enough to handle extreme wind events. You should see what's in the ground for the monorail piers.

So the question is, is this that much cheaper than building more monorail lines?

 

[Matt_Black]

I think WDW should have pneumatic people tubes like in Futurama.

 

[articos]

Some questions for our resident engineers:

• How much would Florida's water table and need to withstand hurricane force winds add to the budget for a gondola system like the one proposed?
• Is the reduced cost of the gondola system worth it compared to building a new monorail line that serves the same area with fewer, larger capacity cabs?
• Speaking of monorails, has the lack of a monorail gauge standard stymied their adoption across Disney's theme park properties where they may be useful, but the economies of scale aren't there to make the endeavor cost effective?

• Water table doesn't affect this anymore than building any other building or monorail beam. As long as you have the proper base, it's fine. Sinkholes would be a problem to work around. Hurricane winds, same thing. The building codes have to be followed, and a guideway tower is a smaller footprint to the wind than a building is. A system like this would shut down during high wind or extreme weather situations.
• Significant cost savings to a cable system vs. a fixed beam monorail.
• Gauge isn't a factor - any future expansion to the monorail would simply be able to use the infrastructure in place at that property, so DL would build to their beam spec, and WDW would build to theirs. Economics are the primary issue. Even if you were buying monorails for both properties, the costs are still higher than a cable system.

 

[csmat99]

The Gondola system would be very expensive. The towers and mechanics especially. problems:
1. The gondolas would be relatively low capacity and slow.
2. The loading and unloading would be slow and what about strollers and wheelchairs and scooters?
3. As someone else mentioned.......The towers and gondolas in the view from the parks and resorts.

We need more details.

AKK

do you not read any posts before posting? The Gondola system is very cheap compared Light rail, monorail or other forms of transportation. The gondolas are very high capacity. The ones in the videos hold about 20 people and can be dispatched every 15-20 seconds. the loading and unloading are seamless.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

So the question is, is this that much cheaper than building more monorail lines?

How can it not be, as monorails require many more piers than a gondola system needs?

 

[danlb_2000]

An update on "that other site"... looks like he did not take to kindly to people calling him out on stealing info... their comments have been deleted.

Wow, he really house cleaned the comments which fortunately also included the post that was falsely using my name.

 

[floridaeit]

So the question is, is this that much cheaper than building more monorail lines?

Absolutely. You're drastically cutting down on the amount of concrete needed for the beams. You only need concrete for the piers and footers. Nothing in between. On top of that, it's a lot cheaper to ship cable that it is to ship fully cast, custom monorail beams across the country. I think a lot of people forget that all of the original monorail beams were custom cast and poured outside of Florida and brought in via rail. The shipping costs alone would be astronomical in today's dollars.

 

[andysol]

Some questions for our resident engineers:

• How much would Florida's water table and need to withstand hurricane force winds add to the budget for a gondola system like the one proposed?
• Is the reduced cost of the gondola system worth it compared to building a new monorail line that serves the same area with fewer, larger capacity cabs?
• Speaking of monorails, has the lack of a monorail gauge standard stymied their adoption across Disney's theme park properties where they may be useful, but the economies of scale aren't there to make the endeavor cost effective?

Gondolas are the speculation. Even if the gondolas are cheap or the nicest gondolas in existence, they both need support posts which aren't shown in the permit.
So a future permit will need to exist if a gondola were to exist.
After speaking with a friend and @danlb_2000 - I don't believe it will be a gondola at all. I believe it will be a cable driven monorail similar to MCO or Hogwarts express- just a smaller version of them. It would require minimal metal support structures as the cable is what "powers" it- not the vehicle itself. This would be a more stable and higher capacity and faster transportation system vs any gondola system you can come up with. All at a very similar cost.

 

[MisterPenguin]

You never know who has a family member or friend working on projects around the theme parks.

Or who was reading the forums last night in between fares.

 

[TiggerDad]

Gondolas are the speculation. Even if the gondolas are cheap or the nicest gondolas in existence, they both need support posts which aren't shown in the permit.
So a future permit will need to exist if a gondola were to exist.
After speaking with a friend and @danlb_2000 - I don't believe it will be a gondola at all. I believe it will be a cable driven monorail similar to MCO or Hogwarts express- just a smaller version of them. It would require minimal metal support structures as the cable is what "powers" it- not the vehicle itself. This would be a more stable and higher capacity and faster transportation system vs any gondola system you can come up with. All at a very similar cost.

Hogwarts Express doesn't make sharp corners like are shown in the permits